


Monster-In-Law

by orphan_account



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Lena has the family she deserves, Lillian is still the devil (kinda), Little angst but mostly fluff, The Luthors are good, The Monster-In-Law AU literally no one asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-02-04 20:18:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12778719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Lex remembered how Lillian chased away Jack Spheer – he was gay and merely a beard for Lena’s own gayness; should he say more? –, Veronica Sinclair – he supported her in such a venture, after all the woman was not good enough for his younger sister – and, finally, Sam Arias – he, in fact, had liked this one and hoped the relationship would work, but obviously Lillian would not let that happen. For Lillian Luthor, no one would ever be good enough for Lena. Therefore, he knew his mother was planning something, and he silently wished Kara Danvers luck – she would need it.





	1. The Luthors

**Author's Note:**

> I need something to make me happy and all my fics are angst, so I wrote this one. It's going to have just five chapters, I guess, so it shouldn't interfere with the other ones, I promise. ;)  
> Please tell me your opinions after you read it. I sincerely hope you enjoy it.  
> See ya!

Kara Danvers did not know what to expect when her cousin, Clark Kent, asked her to join him in an interview with Lena Luthor. She, of course, had heard of the woman, after all, who had not? She was easily one of the brightest minds in the world – her only competition was probably her big brother, Lex Luthor – and at the age of twenty-four, she was the CEO of L-Corp, her family company. The surname was already enough to make her an important figure, but every act she had ever done in the city, including the construction of a children's hospital, made her someone dear to the people of National City.

Because of that, it was understandable that Kara was nervous to meet her. The blonde-haired woman already knew her by appearance, after all Lena Luthor was a public figure, but it would be a completely different experience to meet her in person. She had heard rumors about the CEO’s kindness, about her admirable character, not to mention her beauty. Kara was practically shaking when Lena's secretary, Jess, guided her and her cousin into the Luthor's office.

Lena was even more beautiful than Kara had seen on television, magazines, or newspapers. Her hair was smooth and dark, and it looked so soft. Kara could not find a single fault in her, and she was able to lose herself completely in the woman’s green eyes, not to mention in her own desire run her fingers through the CEO's sharp jaw. The reporter swallowed and pressed her lips together, as a way to avoid gaping. Clark's encouraging tap on her shoulder was a sign that it was not working very well.

"Ms. Luthor, we came to the interview about L-Corp’s new device." Clark said amicably, with a charismatic smile.

Lena smiled too and got up from her chair. Kara swallowed again as she watched the woman standing behind the table. She was a goner, she was sure of it. She, therefore, remained silent throughout the interview, allowing Clark to ask all the questions, even if she was supposed to accompany him to help him.

Kara did not trust her ability to speak without stuttering, not in face of the _goddess_ who smiled at her with piercing green eyes her and a face so perfect it should not be allowed. To make matters worse, Lena was so kind, so thoughtful, and did not even seem to have a bit of arrogance. There seemed to be no single defect in her.

However, she had to speak when, at the end of the interview, Lena turned to her.

“Will I see your name on the byline, Miss...?” Lena asked curiously, raising a perfect eyebrow. Kara felt like she could faint.

“Danvers.” She managed to say without stuttering. “Kara Danvers. And I’m not sure; I was just accompanying him.” She said with embarrassment. She had spent too much time staring at Lena, completely silent, to expect her name to accompany Clark's in an interview she did not help.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I hope this isn’t the last time we talk.” Lena stated, smiling, and although Kara could bet that it was merely gentleness, that Lena really was not interested her, she could not help blushing and smiling as well.

“I hope not, too.” She answered. It was nothing more than the truth, after all. Even if it seemed unlikely, Kara wanted nothing more than to see Lena Luthor again.

…

Waiting in Noonan's line for coffee after a long day of work was merely routine, something Kara was accustomed to do. She smiled at the attendant, a face already known because of the frequency with which she went to the establishment, picked up her coffee and followed her way out of the restaurant.

She took a sip of the hot, absurdly sweet liquid – Alex had complained that there was probably nothing but sugar in that coffee – and smiled happily. She had had a good day, had written about the newly solved case of missing people. It was something great for her starting career – she needed to thank Maggie, Lucy, and Alex for their help.

However, what was not common in her day was to come face to face with Lena Luthor in front of Noonan's. It had been several days since she had accompanied Clark to the interview, but that had not erased the admiration she had felt for the CEO, or the attraction – obviously the only person to know about it was Alex, and probably as a consequence, Maggie. The flush on the reporter's cheeks was almost an immediate response to meeting her blue eyes with Lena's green ones.

"Ms. Danvers, hi." Lena greeted her, looking equally surprised by her presence. The shock that hit the reporter became transparent in her face – Lena remembered her name? The smile that appeared on the CEO’s face was almost blinding and, despite the surprise within, Kara found herself inevitably smiling too.

“Ms. Luthor.” She responded and allowed herself a pang of pride of herself when she did not stutter. It was certainly a much better result than she had expected.

"Please, call me Lena." Lena answered promptly, with the same gentle smile that seemed so characteristic of her.

"Well, if I'm calling you Lena..." Kara replied.

"Kara it is." The CEO agreed.

Kara allowed herself to be lost in the green immensity that was Lena Luthor's eyes. However, she also noticed the blush on the CEO's cheeks, which alerted her to the fact that she had been staring for far too long. Kara then looked away uneasily and opened her mouth to speak, to create a conversation that would make Lena forget that embarrassing situation, to ask why Lena was there, of all places in National City.

However, she could not do it. She felt something bump against her shoulder, and a moment later, she realized it was a man running unceremoniously down the sidewalk. However, she also realized with pure horror that the coffee that had been in her hands had almost completely poured over Lena's social red blouse – which was probably more expensive than Kara’s _house_.

“ _Oh god.”_ Lena whispered. – Kara wondered how she managed not to scream at the situation – and the pain in her face was more than obvious. The coffee had been, after all, absurdly hot and was now almost completely poured over the CEO.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” Kara hurried to apologize, in panic. “Lena, I don’t…”

“It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.” Lena interrupted with a calm that Kara did not know if she would be capable in such a situation, although the blonde-haired woman could also notice the pain hidden in the CEO’s words and face.

“Let me take you to my apartment. You have to get out of that shirt.” She suggested and Lena just nodded in agreement.

The Luthor woman pointed to the car in which she had come, beside which was a tall, stout man Kara assumed to be the driver – though he could also be a security guard. She hurried to guide the CEO to the vehicle, where she instructed the man about the address of her apartment. With a simple gesture in agreement by Ms. Luthor, the man drove to where she said.

When they reached the apartment building, Kara wasted no time in guiding Lena inside. In a short time, they were in the cozy little apartment of Kara Danvers – who only then remembered it to be completely untidy and certainly not fit for the presence of someone like Lena Luthor. However, she did not have much time to worry about it. Lena was still wearing a blouse soaked with hot coffee and had probably been burned by the scalding liquid.

She pulled Lena to the couch and sat her there before running into her bedroom, to her wardrobe, and getting a comfortable clothe, a grey NCU sweatshirt. She hurried back to where the CEO was, aiming to give her the sweatshirt, only to almost stumble when she saw that Lena had taken off her soaked blouse.

She could not help but gawk at the woman's torso, covered only by a black lace bra. Lena was absolutely stunning, even when her pale, soft skin was red and irritated with burns. Kara swallowed hard and forced herself to regain some of her composure. She could feel her face hot with a blush, but she forced herself to head toward the CEO and hand her the sweatshirt. Kara looked away, as a way of giving the woman some privacy.

“Do you…?” She paused and cleared her throat at how husky her voice was. "Do you think we should take care of those burns first?" She suggested with a courage that she did not know she had, when her voice was a little more acceptable.

"Maybe that's a good idea." Lena forced a smile that looked pained, speaking with a controlled voice that did little to hide how much she was hurt. Kara just nodded and ran to her bathroom to get a first aid kit.

The reporter could feel the blush rising to her cheeks as she took the ointment for burns, knowing what she needed to do. She swallowed hard and forced herself to move on; after all, Lena needed help. She therefore began to spread the ointment through the angry red area, hearing a sigh of relief come from the CEO almost immediately. She tried to look everywhere but Lena's chest, which made her stare directly into the CEO's green eyes.

For longer than she had realized, Kara was lost in the green forest that stared back at her. She did not even realize that her hand had stopped moving, paused in her position close to Lena's collarbone. It seemed that the whole environment around her had disappeared as she watched the CEO's eyes.

However, the moment was interrupted when the door of Kara's apartment was suddenly opened and Alex and Maggie entered. However, the older Danvers promptly interrupted what she about to speak in face of what she found on Kara's couch. What she saw was Lena Luthor, shirtless, on her sister's couch, while the said sister had a hand on the CEO's chest. She absolutely did not need to see that.

"My eyes!"

“Way to go, Little Danvers!”

"This isn’t what it looks like!"

…

At that moment, it really was not what it looked like, but over time, it had become something more. Surprisingly, Lena liked to spend time with her, and as the weeks passed, the breakfasts, and lunches, and coffee dates, and dinners seemed more like dates than anything else. It was not just friendship, and it became very clear when the CEO finally asked Kara to be her girlfriend.

Dating Lena was something unlike any experience Kara had ever had. She had obviously had other boyfriends during her life. She dated one of her friends, James Olsen, but the relationship ended quickly, thankfully on friendly terms. She had also dated Adam Foster, her boss’s son, but the relationship did not last long. Her relationship with Mike Matthews was probably the most complicated, and a time she did not like to remember.

Dating Lena was completely different. She did not remember ever feeling so happy with someone, or of being with a person approved by everyone in her family. During her relationship with James, there had been the problem of her friend, Lucy, who was his ex-girlfriend. Her relationship with Adam was equally complicated, because he was the son of her boss. Virtually everyone she loved, although it took her a few months to figure out why, loathed Mike. Lena, however, was loving, caring, and patient; she had a huge heart, and quickly captured the hearts of all Kara's friends and family, much to the relief of the blonde-haired woman.

It did not take long for Kara to realize that she loved Lena. The CEO was someone very easy to love, after all. She was everything the reporter could dream of and more. For that reason, it was not difficult for Lena to convince Kara to move in to an apartment with her. Lena explained her desire to move and how much she wanted to be able to do that with her girlfriend. Therefore, after officially dating for seven months, Lena and Kara bought an apartment – with a good distance from both L-Corp and CatCo, and even closer to the apartment Alex shared with Maggie, which was even better – and moved in together.

…

Lex Luthor waited patiently for his mother to leave the psychiatric hospital, leaning against his sports car. He could not help wondering what his father would have thought about the mental breakdown Lillian had had, the one that had left her in an institution for almost a year. Obviously, he was happy to see her again, especially since her release meant returning to National City where he could see Lena again. He missed his little sister.

He received his mother with a tight embrace – he had missed her, after all – and helped her into the car, which he immediately followed. He would ask someone to come and get her belongings on another occasion.

They would not stay in Metropolis any longer. Lex was content to go back to National City, where his younger sister waited. He had left her with the position of CEO when he offered to stay with their mother and ensure her recovery, and as far as he knew, she was doing a great job. He called Lena almost every night, and because of that, he knew something he certainly did not want to tell his mother, but he knew he needed it.

He, however, did not dare to start a conversation, so the silence inside the vehicle was interrupted only when Lillian spoke.

"You bought the tickets?" She asked in the same neutral tone as usual. She showed by gestures, large or small, the appreciation she had for both her children, but never through her behavior. She obviously meant the trip she had suggested during one of Lex's visits – a surprise for Lena, and a chance for the family to reconnect after the time she had spent away.

"Yes." Lex nodded as he drove, with his eyes always on the road. He certainly did not want to see his mother's reaction when he communicated what he needed to say. However, he put his hand to the glove compartment and opened it, removing the tickets and giving them to her. "Here they are. The four of us are going to have a lot of fun." He allowed himself hope that his mother had not noticed what he had said, but he should know that Lillian was too smart not to notice.

"Four?" She repeated, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes." He nodded. "You, me, Lena, and her new girlfriend." He squeezed his hands around the steering wheel.

"New girlfriend?" Lillian only repeated with a measured calm and expressionless face. That was enough to frighten Lex much more than if she had screamed and gone completely mad. If she had done that, he would have an excuse to take her back to the psychiatric hospital and prevent her from scaring away another of his younger sister's suitors.

…

Kara could not help the nervousness that seized her as she looked around the increasingly expensive houses of a neighborhood she had never been to in National City. She had readily agreed when Lena had suggested that Kara should know her mother and her brother. Obviously, the reporter had already heard of Lex and Lillian Luthor, both through the media, and through Lena.

She knew this was an important step in their relationship, especially since Lena had proven to love her family so much. Kara just hoped to make Lex and Lillian at least tolerate her, because she loved Lena and could not bear to lose her. Therefore, when the car finally stopped inside a huge estate, in front of a gigantic mansion, it was understandable why she shivered and swallowed.

Lena noticed this, and put a hand on her girlfriend's thigh, catching her attention. She smiled gently at Kara, in a way she hoped was encouraging. Kara would probably never get over how supportive the CEO was. It was probably one of the things she loved the most about her girlfriend.

"Hey, stay calm.” Lena said. “I'm sure they'll love you."

“How can you be so sure?” Kara questioned nervously. Even her girlfriend's support was not enough to make her insecurity disappear altogether. Her meeting with Lena's family was important, something she could not allow to go wrong.

“Because they love me, and once they see how you make me happy, not to mention how amazing you are, they’ll love you too.” Lena replied, putting a hand to Kara's face, so she caressed the reporter's cheek with her thumb. The blonde-haired woman was inevitably smiling, less nervous than before. “Let’s go?” She raised an eyebrow in a way that made Kara bite her lip before finally nodding.

They got out of the car – Lena insisted on opening the door for Kara – and finally they went inside the mansion that was bigger than the apartments of Kara and of all her friends combined. The couple was immediately welcomed by none other than Lex Luthor, who did not waste a single moment before engaging Lena in a tight hug. He had not seen her in person for a year, since he had been in Metropolis with their mother all this time, and obviously had missed his sister.

It took several minutes, since none of the Luthor siblings seemed to want to let go of the other, but at last they parted and Lena returned to Kara's side, holding her girlfriend's hand.

"Kara, darling, this is my brother, Lex." She introduced him, and Kara smiled nervously, reaching out to the tall, somewhat intimidating – despite the friendly smile on his face – man in front of her.

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Luthor." The reporter said.

"Please call me Lex.” Lex replied promptly, shaking Kara's hand. He seemed to have nothing against her, so Kara allowed herself a sigh of relief. At least one member of the Luthor family did not dislike her. She would need, now, only Lillian's approval. “With the way Lena talked about you, you're practically family.” Both she and Lena found themselves blushing at this. “Do you mind if I steal my sister for a second?"

Kara replied with a nod of her head, and almost immediately, Lex pulled Lena away. When it was far enough for the blonde-haired reporter not to hear, he finally turned to his sister, with a face that gushed incredulity.

"You brought a girl to meet our mother _now_?" Lex asked, raising both eyebrows as he looked at Lena with a face that was pure disbelief. He was aware that Lena was completely ignorant of how Lillian consistently scared away every boyfriend or girlfriend she brought home to meet her family, but he had no idea she would think it a good idea to bring Kara to meet Lillian when the Luthor matriarch had literally left a psychiatric hospital two weeks ago.

"Yes, Lex, I did." Lena answered calmly, not knowing why her brother was so worried.

"She just got out of a _madhouse_.” He responded as if it were obvious, but the lack of any change in Lena's face indicated that she had not given much thought to what he had said. For Lena, Lillian could not do something wrong, their mother was completely perfect in her eyes. She probably would not think so if she knew the older woman was probably thinking of ways to get Kara as far as possible from her precious daughter.

"Lex, this is important to me, okay?” Lena replied. “There's something I need to do, and I can’t do it without Kara meeting the two most important people in my life." She smiled in a dreamy way that made Lex smile too, glad that his sister had found someone who made her so happy. Shortly forgetting his concerns, he allowed Lena to pull him back to where Kara was waiting.

It took some time for Lillian to finally appear, and when she came, she was dressed in a way more extravagant than Lex thought it necessary to meet her daughter's girlfriend. Obviously, the man knew what she was up to, and realized that it had worked when Kara shrank and looked down at the floor, seeming self-conscious.

“Mother, this is my girlfriend, Kara.” Lena introduced her, and Lex wondered how many times Lillian would force his sister to do something like that. When would Lillian finally judge that someone was good enough for her precious youngest daughter?

As Lex had expected from Lillian, she received Kara with a tight hug and a small smile – she had also done it with Jack, Veronica and Sam. He watched her pretend, if only for Lena's sake, that she approved of the girl who clearly was not part of their social circle and who she thought would never be good enough for her youngest daughter. He watched her lead them into the living room, where the servants of the house had served some food, during which everyone could properly talk and get to know each other better. And he watched, with a sense of panic he managed to disguise well, when Lillian took the vacant seat next to Kara on one of the couches, forcing Lena to sit with him.

Lex would probably never get used to how well his mother was capable of lying. She had put on a perfect mask of gentleness and patience as she talked to Lena's girlfriend, though the bald man knew she was probably wondering what would be the best way to make the blonde-haired woman run into the hills. However, at that time, Lillian only put on a show for Lena, by talking to Kara amicably, as if she had an interest in her life, and not making a single unpleasant comment. They talked practically about everything, and as the Luthor matriarch questioned more and more about the reporter, Lex realized that this was nothing more than an interrogation, a way of judging the suitor.

Lillian's eyes were enough for Lex to realize that she did not like what she had heard, especially after Kara said she worked as a reporter at CatCo. He, however, watched as his mother and Kara laughed together at something that was said by the blonde-haired woman - he honestly felt sorry for her; she had no idea what was to come.

Finally, Lillian turned her attention to Lena, who had watched with a soft smile, not uttering a single word all the time.

"You're so quiet, Lena." She commented gently, and for the first time since she had started talking to Kara, the feeling that had accompanied her words seemed true.

"I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.” Lena replied. She looked so happy that again Lex was certain she had not realized the way their mother had interrogated her girlfriend, or how Lillian's mind was formulating a plan to get rid of Kara. His sister was _so oblivious_. “It's good to see you two getting along." Lex had to press his lips together to avoid the laughter that wanted to escape.

"She's sweet, isn’t she?" Lillian remarked, and this was probably the first time she had been honest while talking to Kara.

"She is." Kara agreed, smiling sweetly at Lena. They were so in love Lex wanted to puke.

Lena then cleared her throat, looking suddenly nervous.

"I must say I was a little nervous about this meeting." She said.

"Why, dear?" Lillian raised an eyebrow, truly curious. Lex knew she could not care less about Kara, but she cared about Lena and how she felt.

“Because it's important to me.” Lena replied. “Mother, you're the most incredible woman I've ever met.” She smiled at her mother, who allowed herself a small smile back. “Lex, I couldn’t possibly ask for a better big brother.” She said, and he smiled at her. Then, she turned to her girlfriend. “Kara, I've never met anyone like you. We've been dating for almost a year, I know that. I know this isn’t much, but it seems like I've known you for so long, and yet, not long enough. I don’t think I’m articulating words well.” She took a deep breath. “I think what I'm trying to say is: What do you want to do for the rest of your life?"

Kara opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. She watched Lena get up from the couch and stand in front of her on one knee. This could not be what she was thinking, could it?

"Kara, I...” Lena took a deep breath in a show of nervousness that was not her character. Kara had already watched Lena face powerful executives without even blinking, but what the CEO was about to do seemed to be absurdly difficult for her. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you so much, like I have never loved anyone.” The green-eyed woman admitted. She reached for her purse and pulled out a small box that opened in front of Kara, displaying the beautiful ring inside it. “Would you give me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

All the air seemed to be gone from Kara's lungs, and her heart was beating at a mad pace in her chest. She looked at Lena and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She could not deny her surprise, her shock, and her present inability to say a single word. Tears began to gather in her eyes and a trembling smile began to appear on her face.

“ _No, no. Say no._ ” Lex muttered under his breath. He watched the couple in silent panic, alternating glances between his sister, the woman who could be his future sister-in-law, and his mother. He could almost imagine the stroke Lillian would have as she watched the scene. She had never liked the idea of Lena dating, and it was extremely unlikely that she would approve the idea of her precious youngest daughter getting married, especially to a reporter who probably did not earn a month what L-Corp made in a matter of minutes.

Unfortunately, for him, Kara finally seemed to have recovered from her state of shock and opened a huge smile, her eyes filled with tears.

“Yes. Yes. _Yes!_ ” She threw herself into Lena's arms, squeezing her tightly against her. Lex had never seen his sister so happy and could not help but feel happy for her, but a mere glance at their mother's unreadable expression was enough for him to remember why he was apprehensive about his younger sister's marriage.

“ _Oh shit._ ” He muttered and then held his breath, waiting to see what Lillian would do.

He could not exactly say that he was surprised when Lillian again put a mask of happiness on her face, smiled and hugged her daughter and her future daughter-in-law. Obviously, he was aware that none of that was true, that the proposal was only a reason for his mother to hasten even more whatever she chose to do to drive Kara away from Lena. Now, however, he watched her pretend to be happy for her daughter, when deep down she did not think Kara was good enough for Lena – no one would be, in Lillian's eyes.

Lex, therefore, simply congratulated his sister and wondered what he would do to stop their mother from ruining Lena's relationship.

…

After a while, Lena and Kara left, back to their own home, leaving Lex and Lillian alone in the mansion. After saying goodbye to his sister and forcing her to promise to visit more often, Lex returned to where his mother was still sitting on the couch, staring into nothingness, with an unreadable face.

"So, my only daughter, one of the brightest minds in the world, is going to marry that reporter." Lillian spoke quietly, as if the topic under discussion was merely the weather. Her face was a mask of inexpressiveness, but her eyes were capable of speaking volumes – and Lex did not like what he saw.

He remembered how Lillian chased away Jack Spheer – he was gay and merely a beard for Lena’s own gayness; should he say more? –, Veronica Sinclair – he supported her in such a venture, after all the woman was not good enough for his younger sister – and, finally, Sam Arias – he, in fact, had liked this one and hoped the relationship would work, but obviously Lillian would not let that happen.

Lex did not utter a single word as he watched his mother rise from the couch and quietly walk out of the room. She did not say a word, so the silence reigned in the huge mansion. However, he soon followed her. He knew his mother was planning something, and silently wished Kara Danvers luck – she would need it.


	2. First Attempt - Fail

Kara felt like she was on cloud nine as Lena drove back to the apartment the couple shared. She had gotten along with her girlfriend's family – her _fiancée_ ’s family. She could hardly believe Lena had asked her to marry her. She had not expected it. Obviously, she could not be more anxious to spend the rest of her days with that woman, and even though she knew the CEO loved her, she still had some doubts that Lena shared her wish. Kara had never been so happy in her entire life. She could not wait to tell Alex.

Lena drove calmly through the streets of National City, following the familiar path back to their home. She had only one hand on the steering wheel, while the other held Kara's hand, while the reporter kept glancing at her fiancée with a huge smile on her face. The CEO, likewise, seemed about to explode with happiness.

When the car finally stopped in front of the apartment building, Kara only had time to get out of it before being pressed against the door of the vehicle. Lena's warm body was pressed against her front and her mouth was captured in a slow, sensual kiss that completely stole the reporter's breath. She quickly responded to the kiss and put her hands to the CEO's silky hair, fingers digging into the soft threads. They were still in a public place and there was a good chance there were photographers around, but neither seemed to care.

However, the couple was interrupted by the sound of Lena's cell phone, which had begun to ring.

The CEO groaned and pulled away from Kara, and took a moment to calm her breathing before answering the call that had interrupted them. Kara only watched her fiancée frown more and more as she heard what came from the other side of the line. When the call was over, the reporter approached the CEO again and held Lena's face in her hands.

"What happened?" She asked worriedly, frowning.

"Jess told me about a problem with the prototype.” Lena sighed, looking suddenly tired. Kara obviously knew what project she was referring to, since this was all her future wife talked about since the two of them met. Lena had been working on that project with Spheerical Industries, her ex-boyfriend’s company, for years, and it looked like it was finally coming close to a result. Hearing the news of a problem about the prototype should be frustrating. “I’m really sorry, but I need to go to L-Corp to sort it out.” Kara shook her head and laid a kiss on Lena's lips as a way to make her realize that it was okay and that she did not blame her for needing to go back to work. “Do you want to stay here?”

"Can you drop me at Alex's?” Kara suggested. She did not feel like staying home alone and was extremely anxious to tell her sister about the engagement. “I need to tell her! I mean, is it okay if I tell her or do you prefer to wait for a while?" She asked nervously. Lena was someone who liked privacy, and Kara respected that.

"Of course you can tell her.” The CEO smiled. “I can barely contain the urge to go to my office’s balcony and scream for the whole city to hear.” She put a hand over the one Kara kept on her face, and slid her index finger down the ring. “I've been carrying this ring with me for weeks, waiting for the right moment, and I hardly believe it finally arrived."

“I love you.” Kara simply kissed a quickly, knowing that neither would go anywhere if she did something more than that.

“I love you too.” Lena answered, and Kara would never tire of hearing those words coming out of the CEO’s mouth.

They returned to the car and, as requested, Lena drove to the apartment building of Alex and Maggie. Kara was reluctant to leave, and kissed the CEO again before opening the door, though she had stayed inside the car after doing so.

“Tell Alex and Maggie I said hi.” Lena asked gently. Kara loved the fact that she got along so well with her family and friends, and that the dark-haired woman genuinely cared for each of the people the reporter loved. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Don’t overwork yourself.” Kara asked in a playful tone, but there was a truthful background in her request. Lena was a bit of a workaholic, and even though she had improved since the two started dating, the CEO still had a terrible tendency to demand more of herself than was healthy.

“No promises.” Lena smiled and kissed Kara's lips again, slowly, before finally allowing her fiancée out of the vehicle.

Kara watched as the car distanced itself before finally entering the building and going up to Alex and Maggie's apartment. She had a key, but she had had enough traumatic experiences to know she should not come in unannounced, so she knocked and waited for her sister to open the door. The reporter was practically jumping in her place, while her fingers played with the ring she still could not believe was on her finger. She was going to marry Lena!

Finally, Alex opened the door, and Kara really did not want to know why her sister took so long to do it. She just threw herself into the arms of the older Danvers and hugged her tightly, a huge smile on her face. Alex staggered back, but held her and returned the gesture, her face filled with confusion as she looked at Maggie.

"I assume the ‘meeting your girlfriend's family’ thing went well?" Alex asked, pleased with her sister's happiness, but still not fully understanding what had put her in such a mood.

"That’s not it." Kara responded enthusiastically as she moved away from Alex. Her sister watched her in confusion, waiting for an answer. "Well, that's it, but not only that." Without restraining herself, Kara held out the hand on whose finger was the ring Lena had given her a short time ago.

Alex took too long to realize why her sister was so happy, but when she finally noticed, her eyes widened and she gaped.

“Oh my- When did this- How- You’re getting married!” Alex exclaimed and pulled her sister into a new hug. She was obviously aware of how serious the relationship between Kara and Lena was, but the CEO had never given any indication that she was going to propose soon. Of course, Alex should have noticed something when Lena asked if she would approve a marriage between the two several weeks ago.

“She finally did it!” Maggie exclaimed excitedly, approaching the Danvers sisters with a huge smile on her face.

“Wait, you knew?” Both Alex and Kara asked in surprise.

“Of course I did.” Maggie rolled her eyes. “Who do you think helped her choose the ring?”

Alex narrowed her eyes at her and pursed her lips.

“Margaret Sawyer, you’re a traitor.”

"Danvers, you know I love you, but you're not able to keep a secret from your sister to save your life." Maggie replied, looking at Alex as if challenging her to say she was lying.

“She’s right.” Kara admitted, much to her sister's dismay.

“Whatever.” Alex rolled her eyes and turned to her younger sister again. “Congratulations!” She hugged Kara again. Alex was frankly happy for her sister because she knew how much Lena made her happy and how perfect they were for each other. It was certainly an astronomical improvement when compared to the relationship Kara had had with Mike Matthews – Alex still regretted not beating him until he ended up in a hospital when she found out how his relationship with her sister worked.

Both Alex and Maggie congratulated Kara on her engagement and asked how the proposal was. In the end, the three of them were sitting on the couch, with the blonde-haired reporter sitting between her sister and her sister-in-law.

"And what did you think of the Luthors?" Maggie asked curiously. She knew about the family only what was reported in the media and some details given by Lena, but she was intrigued to know what Kara's opinion of the CEO’s family.

"They seemed to like me." Kara replied, pleased with herself for apparently getting the approval of Lena's mother and brother. Her fiancée had made it clear how much she valued her family, how close she was to Lex and Lillian, especially after Lionel's death. It was, therefore, important that she get on well with both of them, and apparently Kara had achieved that.

"Of course they liked you. There's no way someone wouldn’t like your little puppy self." Alex squeezed her cheek, more to annoy her than for any other reason, and Kara slapped her sister's hand away, rubbing her aching face. Still, she smiled. Nothing could ruin her mood – she was engaged to the love of her life, after all.

"Lex was really nice, and Lillian – she asked me to call her Lillian! – was, like, super kind.” Kara rambled, excited. "She seems to love Lena so much, and I'm so happy she has a family like that, because she deserves it so much." The dreamy smile that appeared on Kara's face indicated she was trapped in what Lucy had eloquently called ‘Lena’s World’. Alex put a finger to her mouth and pretended to vomit, while Maggie only laughed. "Lillian's just so important to Lena, and I'm so relieved she liked me." Kara admitted, resting her head on her older sister’s shoulder.

…

Lex ran after his mother, who was striding along the long corridor of the mansion. It was morning, and she had woken up in a bad mood, which had become obvious from what she had told him over breakfast. He could not say he was surprised – Lillian had already done much worse to Lena's past suitors.

"Mother, you can’t hire a detective to investigate Kara!" He shouted at his mother, who had not stopped walking even after his many requests. Lex frankly had no idea how to have this discussion with his mother – facing L-Corp’s executives was so much easier than dealing with Lillian Luthor that he was almost asking Lena to switch roles with him. However, he knew he needed to take care of this problem; he had seen the way his sister looked at Kara, and although obviously worrying about Lena as any good big brother would, he supported the relationship.

"I don’t like that girl. I don’t trust her and I know nothing about her.” Lillian replied monotonously, as if she was very bored with the conversation. He rolled his eyes at the response he received from her. “Of course I need a detective."

"You practically interrogated her yesterday." Lex argued.

Finally, Lillian reached her room and headed for her bed. She sat on the mattress and picked up the cell phone that had been left on the bedside table. She started dialing a number, but Lex took the phone from her before she could make the call. Lillian rolled her eyes at the behavior of her eldest son.

"People lie, Lex. I thought you knew that.” She stated in a neutral tone and, as much as Lex wanted to argue, he knew she was right. “I can’t allow this girl to break Lena's heart. She could just be after your sister's money; it happened before.” Again, he could not reply, because Lillian was correct. “You know what it's like to be a Luthor, and Lena is too naive for her own good."

"Lena isn’t naive. She's one of the brightest minds in the world, Mother." He defended. His sister was a genius – something he was very proud of. She was perhaps the brightest mind of the world now, smarter even than he was; although it still hurt his pride to admit it.

"Have you, by any chance, forgotten Sinclair?" Lillian raised an eyebrow, and Lex grunted.

That was why he had not liked Veronica Sinclair and helped his mother get rid of her. He had discovered through one of the lunatic investigations of Lillian's detectives that the woman’s only interest in his sister was the Luthor family’s money, which Sinclair planned to use to finance her illegal fighting business. Obviously, Lena had never found out – Lex had never wanted to give her that disgust, and Lillian had not either. She had been kept blissfully ignorant of the fact, and had moved on after, threatened by Lillian, Veronica left her.

"Okay, so maybe she's a bit naive.” Lex admitted. Lena, in fact, had a hard time noticing when close people had bad intentions about her. She was always suspicious at the beginning of a relationship, but when she gave herself to someone she did it fully, which included her blind trust. “I just don’t think Kara is a gold-digger." He argued.

He had a good feeling about Kara, as he had with Sam. He did not know if he could count Jack as a relationship, since the couple was merely a beard for each other. However, he had liked Sam Arias and knew that the intentions of L-Corp’s current CFO about his sister were the best possible. He had supported her relationship with Lena, but the fact that Sam was a single mother was a flaw in Lillian's eyes – and she would never accept someone flawed as a suitor for her precious daughter. Fortunately, Sam and Lena remained friends, and from what he had heard, Sam liked Kara, which was just one more point in favor of the blonde-haired woman.

That was obviously not good enough for Lillian.

"I’m not taking any chances." The woman insisted.

"Mother, this isn’t a simple girlfriend you can scare away.” He argued. “This is more serious. Lena asked her to marry her.” He knew Lena had liked Sam, but even after they had been together, surprisingly, for almost two years, his sister had never proposed. The fact that she had done so to Kara was a stark proof of his sister's love for the reporter. “If you ruin this, you’ll break her heart."

That was something he feared. Dating Jack was never real, so it did not affect Lena when the relationship ended. The CEO had liked Veronica enough to date her, but she was not much affected by the break-up. Ending the relationship with Sam was probably the hardest, but she had moved on quickly, mostly because she had maintained the CFO's friendship.

He honestly feared what a break-up with Kara could do to Lena. However, his mother did not seem convinced.

"Then I'd better find out if this girl is worthy of my daughter's love soon." Lillian replied. Lex knew this was a bluff. There was not a single human being on the entire planet who was capable of meeting Lillian's standards. However, he merely sighed and nodded, knowing that it was unlikely that he would be able to move his mother from the idea that she had decided to follow.

He therefore took the cell phone in the pocket of his pants and dialed a number. If Lillian really wanted to hire a detective to investigate Kara, he had a suggestion for her, one that would not be as invasive as his mother wished, but that would be, with some luck, satisfactory enough for her.

…

Kara was excited for the night. It had been two weeks since she had known her, and Lillian had called earlier to call the couple for dinner at the Luthor mansion, which only further brightened the blonde-haired reporter's happiness at the fact that her fiancée's family truly liked her. Kara dressed casually at Lena's request, as the CEO would also be dressed in her work clothes. She would not have time to go home and change before the time appointed by her mother, so that, after getting Kara, she headed straight for the mansion.

However, the youngest Danvers's happiness soon faded as she realized the number of people – extremely rich people – who were inside the mansion, all dressed in expensive, fancy clothes, which made Kara feel self-conscious. However, Lillian did not notice it, and hugged the reporter as soon as she saw her. The woman was wearing a black dress that probably costed more than Kara's salary accumulated for a year, and the fact that the blonde-haired woman felt so out of place just made her squeeze Lena's hand harder as a way to look comfort.

“Mother, I thought you said it was just dinner.” Lena argued, frowning, as soon as her mother released her from a tight embrace.

“I didn’t think it would hurt to call some friends.” Lillian answered with some indifference, as if she truly saw no problem with what she had done. Kara was sure she had not had a bad intention, but she still felt uncomfortable being in the middle of so many important people while dressed so inappropriately.

“You called everyone I know.” Lena stated in disbelief.

“Don’t worry, darling, I left your favorite dress in your old room.” Lillian smiled and then turned to her daughter’s fiancée. “Kara, I bought you a new dress. It's in the guest room." She informed.

Kara gave a small, somewhat embarrassed smile and promptly thanked her. Lena squeezed her hand as a way to offer some comfort. Kara accompanied her to social events at L-Corp very often, it was true, but she had always been properly dressed for the occasion, and the fact that she was not this time just reminded her of how different she was from Lena.

“I’ll show you where it is.” Lena offered. Kara nodded and followed her fiancée up the stairs.

…

Lex approached his mother as soon as he saw Kara and Lena disappear up the stairs. Lillian had not explained to him what her pretense was in doing what she had done, though he had formed a theory in the second that he noticed how Kara shrank from the stares of the various people scattered about the mansion. Still, he turned to his mother.

"I still don’t understand what you're up to." He murmured as he spoke. It would not be good if someone overheard the conversation and became aware of what Lillian was doing.

"You don’t have to understand.” She shrugged. “All you have to do is behave."

"Mother." He spoke in a warning tone. She rolled her eyes.

"When this girl realizes she has no place in Lena's world, she'll end it all." Lillian finally admitted. It was, in fact, what Lex was thinking. Making Kara come so unprepared to be in the presence of the most important people in National City was merely a trick to make her feel uncomfortable, to make her feel as if the difference between her and Lena was too great to ignore. It was a good plan, though cruel, in a way.

"Is that your plan to make her leave Lena?” He questioned incredulously. “Mother, they've been together for almost a year, I think Kara’s already used to these things." He argued, after all he had already seen photos of Kara and Lena together in the galas promoted by L-Corp. That would not be enough to drive away his sister and his future sister-in-law – he was sure of it.

"Not as much as you might think." Lillian replied calmly.

"There's nothing I can say to get you out of this idea, right?"

"No."

…

Kara could feel the blush coming to her face the moment she heard the sound of ripping tissue. She had truly tried to wear the dress, but was it was too small, or was she too big? Kara liked to eat – it was probably one of the things she liked the most. Was she getting fat? Why had Lillian bought such a small dress?

Fortunately, this floor of the mansion was not crowded, so that, still tightened inside the torn dress, Kara walked quickly through the hallways, looking for Lena's room. She found her fiancée already wearing a gorgeous black dress, smiling as she talked to Samantha Arias and Jack Spheer. Lena looked beautiful, and more than ever, Kara felt inappropriate. The moment Lena saw her, the reporter turned her back on her and returned to the room in which she had left the clothes with which she had come. She wanted to leave.

She heard her fiancée call for her, and heard the footsteps of Lena following her, but did not stop until she entered the room. Finally, when the CEO reached her, the dark-haired woman held Kara's face in her hands, causing the blonde-haired woman to look at her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Lena asked worriedly.

"You know I don’t like parties like this.” Kara confessed. Although she had always accompanied Lena to the gallows of L-Corp and began to feel more comfortable in such an environment, she had never felt fully comfortable in front of the most important social circle in National City. “I...” She took a deep breath. “I don’t feel comfortable. I'm just a reporter, in the midst of so many important people. I feel self-conscious. I think I've embarrassed myself in front of half of L-Corp's investors and I've just ripped a very expensive dress.” She chuckled embarrassingly. “Maybe my place isn’t here, Lena."

It was not the first time she had thought something like that. Kara still did not know why Lena had taken an interest in her, why the CEO chose her among so many people. Lena was all anyone could ask for – she was kind, genius-like smart, charming, caring, patient, and never allowed her money or position to make her an arrogant person. Meanwhile, the blonde-haired woman was only plain old Kara Danvers, a reporter and former assistant to Cat Grant. What was special about her?

"Your place is by my side.” Lena answered promptly, without a twinge of doubt. She smiled softly at Kara, and stroked the reporter's cheek with her thumb. “You know that these extravagant social events and fancy clothes mean nothing to me. This is no longer my world. You’re my world.” She laid a kiss on the lips of the reporter, who finally smiled. “I love you, Kara." And that was all the younger Danvers needed to hear in order to feel secure with herself again.

"I love you too, Lena." She answered and then pulled her fiancée for a kiss. At first, she moved her lips against Lena's in a calm, unhurried manner, but by the time Lena bit her lip she allowed herself to lose herself in everything that was Lena Luthor. Then, her hands tightened around the CEO's waist over her dress as the green-eyed woman's fingers slid into her blonde hair – and it was one of the best feelings Kara had ever experienced.

"Let's go home." Lena suggested as she laid her forehead against Kara's.

"Are you sure?” The reporter asked. “We can stay, if you want." She was particularly happy with the idea, but if it was important to Lena, she certainly could do it.

"I'm sure.” The dark-haired woman replied. “I've always had more fun at home with you than at any other place, and I can think of some things we can do in our apartment, by ourselves." Lena bit her lip and raised an eyebrow – Kara did not need more convincing.

"Lead the way, then." She agreed immediately, her face already flushed, and Lena chuckled.

…

Lex knew his mother was in a bad mood by the time Lena and Kara left the mansion together the night before, with smiles on their faces. It was not the result Lillian expected, and it would surely irritate her for a little longer. When a housekeeper came to his room to call him to his mother's room, Lex was sure that the anger had certainly not passed.

"So, what did you find out?" She asked as soon as he entered the room, not even bothering to wish good morning. It was visible in her face that the failure of her plan had displeased her. Lillian had clearly underestimated Kara and Lena's feelings for each other, but she probably would not do it again, which was why she wanted to know what the detective Lex had hired had found out.

"Nothing that you're going to find interesting.” Lex sighed. The detective had told him everything he had learned about Kara two days ago, and the Luthor heir knew that the moment his mother would ask him about it would be soon. “Her birth name isn’t Kara Danvers, it's Kara Zor-El. She changed it when she was adopted by the Danvers, after her family died in a fire when she was thirteen. She always had good grades, and studied journalism at NCU. She worked for two years as an assistant to Cat Grant before becoming a reporter. She had only three boyfriends in her entire life and two of them did not last long. The third, Mike Matthews, was the longest, six months, but it seemed to be an abusive relationship. She has no criminal record and never got into trouble, even at school.”

"That's not exactly what a person with a past does." Lillian scoffed, clearly displeased with what she had heard. A pensive expression formed in her face, and Lex did not have to ask to know that she was already formulating a new plan.

"What did you expect to find out?” He raised an eyebrow. “Mother, did you ever stop to think about the possibility that she might be a good girl?" He knew the answer would be negative. Lillian would never admit that any of Lena's suitors could have a single quality. She would never think anyone was good enough for her daughter.

"I'm beginning to think you're as naive as your sister." Lillian retorted, and her lips tightened as she finished speaking. She narrowed her eyes at Lex, who had to refrain from shrinking from her gaze.

He recovered quickly, and stared at his mother in disbelief.

"What else do you want to do? Interrogate her yourself again?" The bald man asked sarcastically. He regretted having done so the second a small smile formed on Lillian's lips.

"That's not a bad idea.” She said. “How can I do that?"

"Mother, I wasn’t serious." He retorted.

"But I am.” Lillian said. A mere moment later, the smile on her lips grew wider. It was possibly the biggest smile Lex had ever seen in his mother, and that was not a good sign considering where her line of thought was. “I just got an idea.” He stared at her in disbelief. “Don’t look at me like that, I have a plan." She rolled her eyes.

"That's exactly what worries me, Mother." He replied.

Lex waited for his mother to say something, for her to explain what the plan was. However, for a long time, Lillian remained silent, thoughtful. When she finally opened her mouth to say something, the bald man did not like the gleam in her eyes.

"Lex, what would you say if I said I’m going to drive her crazy?" Again, he stared at her in disbelief.

"I'd ask you if you considered seeing a psychiatrist."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I'd like to thank everyone who is reading this fic, everyone who left kudos, bookmarks and everyone who commented. Thank you very much. You have no idea how happy that makes me.  
> Well, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. It's more of a transition chapter than anything else. I hope it was good. Please tell me your opinions and what you expect to happen now.  
> See ya!


	3. Psychotic Break

Kara woke up with a huge smile on her face. A little sunlight came in through the window, through a gap between the curtains, and lit the room, so that the first thing the blonde-haired woman saw when she opened her eyes was Lena's face, as her fiancée remained sleeping. The CEO had come home almost at three o'clock in the morning, caught up in the preparations for an important project, and it was natural that she was exhausted. Kara could not help but smile and wonder how she could be so lucky. Lena was all she could ask for, everything she dreamed about and everything she could ever want.

She slid her index finger across her fiancée's jaw, which was probably the feature she most liked on Lena's face, with the exception of hypnotic green eyes. Lena mumbled something senseless and wrinkled her nose in a way that Kara thought was adorable for a moment, but went on sleeping.

She considered staying in bed for a while longer, simply enjoying the company of the woman she loved, but her stomach rumbled; as if to provide a reminder that she needed to get up. Kara therefore stood and, as quietly as possible, left the room.

She was a bad cook, but since starting to date Lena, she had learned to make descent pancakes at least. Therefore, she made some for herself and some for her fiancée, who would not sleep much longer, no matter how exhausted she was. Kara had never been so grateful to have a day off, since she had not imagined staying any longer away from Lena when she had not seen the CEO all day before, in which the woman had been at L-Corp, busy with an important project.

Kara was in the process of eating her third pancake when the bedroom door opened and Lena appeared, still in her pajamas and with her hair messed up in a way the reporter could not help but find adorable. Kara watched her yawn and walk toward her. Lena sat down in her lap and put her arms around her neck, resting her forehead against hers.

"I missed you in bed." The CEO stated in a slightly hoarse voice that carried traces of sleep. Kara found herself inevitably smiling.

"I was hungry and you were too cute sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you up." Kara replied before placing a quick kiss on Lena's lips.

She then rose from her chair with Lena in her arms, and the CEO wrapped her legs around the blue-eyed woman's waist. The reporter carried her toward the sofa, where she lay with the dark-haired woman above her.

"Good morning." Kara spoke with a huge smile on her face, looking directly into the green eyes she loved so much.

"Good morning." Lena replied with an expression that mimicked the reporter's.

Kara did not have much more opportunity to watch her, since she had inevitably closed her eyes when Lena kissed her. The reporter opened her mouth and allowed the CEO's tongue to explore each corner, which made her moan. She curled the fingers of one of her hands into the dark, soft hair, while her other hand went to Lena's waist, touching the skin beneath her pajama top. The couple separated only when the air became necessary.

Lena slid kisses from her lips to her jaw and then to her neck. Kara threw her head back to give her more access to the skin, and bit her lip to avoid a moan as Lena bit her neck playfully. She heard her fiancée giggle and could not help doing the same. There were times when she did not believe that this was her life, that all this was real, that Lena loved her and would spend the rest of her life with her. There were moments when everything seemed merely the dream, especially when she was on the couch with her fiancée above her as the CEO laid wet kisses on her neck amid laughter and a comfortable mood.

However, the activity was interrupted by the noise of the telephone, which, despite unwillingly, Kara had no choice but to answer. Lena obviously did not think that meant a break in her plans, and merely hid her face in the curve of the blonde-haired woman's neck as she reached for the phone. Kara could feel her fiancée’s smirk against her skin as she accepted the call and put the phone to her ear.

…

Lex was tired of trying to guess what his mother had meant by ‘driving Kara crazy’. He therefore saw no other choice but to confront Lillian, a decision that took him to his mother's room early in the morning. Luckily, she would usually wake up early, so she was already awake when he came into her room.

"Care to elaborate how exactly you intend to drive her crazy, Mother?" He raised an eyebrow as he asked, not bothering with any formalities. She looked at him curiously for a long moment before shaking her head from side to side, in a negative sign.

"Lex, I thought you were smarter, my dear.” She rolled her eyes in a way that indicated she was bored, that the conversation was nothing more than monotony. He frowned and just waited for an answer. “Tell me, what do you know about sleep deprivation?" His frown deepened at the seemingly pointless question, but he answered anyway.

“It can cause excessive sleepiness, irritability, daytime fatigue, impulsive behavior, paranoia and depression.”

“Irritability and impulsive behavior are quite interesting concepts, don’t you think?” She raised an eyebrow and a shadow of a smile appeared on her face, and that was the answer he needed.

“It can also put you at risk for heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes.” He argued, but she did not show any reaction to what he had said. “Mother, you can’t be serious.” Lex said in disbelief.

“Don’t worry. She won’t last long enough to have those.” Her response, however, was not as reassuring as Lillian seemed to think it would be. Lex was seriously beginning to wonder how his mother had been released from the psychiatric hospital. She was possibly crazier than before being admitted there.

“How exactly are you planning to make her stop sleeping?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. At least that part of the plan seemed to be impossible, so Kara would be safe. Lex still worried that his mother had thought of something like that, but he felt more comfortable knowing that there was no way she could prevent his future sister-in-law from sleeping as she should. Lillian was definitely going _mad_. “Really, I think I’d like to speak to your psychiatrist. Is she around? Because you’re practically begging for a spin in the crazy mobile.” He said sarcastically, but there was a deep truth in his words. With the way she was acting, Lillian was not far from landing herself back on the psychiatric hospital she had been in for the past year.

She, however, once again showed no concern for what he had said, and her somewhat malignant smile became slightly wider.

“Lex, Lex. Everybody knows that when you marry someone, you marry their mother, too, right?” He just nodded silently, waiting for what she was going to say. “Trust me, I know what I’m doing. I'll make her life a living Hell.” He was beginning to think she knew all too well what she was doing, and _that_ would be the biggest problem.

“Okay, now you’re foaming at the mouth.” Lillian only rolled her eyes at Lex's response and picked up her cell phone. The bald man watched his mother dial a number and put the cellphone on speaker.

She put a finger in front of her mouth, looking at him, which was a clear indication that he was supposed to be silent. In a short time, the call was answered.

“ _Kara and Lena’s house._ ” Kara's voice sounded through the room, and the disgust that spread over Lillian's face was more than clear.

“Oh, I forgot you live there.” She still forced her voice to sound pleasant. Lex never ceased to be surprised by how much his mother was good at lying. That was one of the reasons why she was so effective as CEO of L-Corp, before she had a psychotic breakdown due to overworking herself. “I think I’m still not used to my daughter living with someone who isn’t her brother and me.” This was nothing but reality. Lex thought Lillian would never let Lena move to her own house, and it had been difficult enough for the Luthor matriarch to let her youngest daughter do it.

However, the answer that came was a giggle and something like a groan – Lex was sure he had never been so mortified in his life – before Kara finally spoke again.

“ _Lena, stop it. I’m on the phone with your mother!_ ” It was at this point that Lex decided that he needed to start building a device to change his memory. There were things he did not need to know, things he did not need to hear – and everything about his younger sister's sex life was on that list. “ _I’m sorry, Lillian._ ” Kara finally spoke, although there was some difficulty in her voice to utter the words.

If Lex was traumatized, Lillian looked furious. She put a hand on the phone so that it would muffle it before looking at her son with eyes full of anger and whispering:

“The girl’s practically fornicating with her!” As if he needed more confirmation. Lex felt like he was going to be sick.

“ _Stop it!_ ” Kara's voice rang again through the room, followed by a giggle that was clearly Lena's.

“Okay, I didn’t need to know that. I really didn’t.” He murmured – mortified and traumatized – more to himself than to his mother, and Lillian did not pay much attention to him.

“ _Hold on, Lillian. She’s…_ ” Lex internally prayed to any entity that existed so Kara would not complete that phrase. Fortunately, she did not, which allowed the bald man to breathe a sigh of relief. “ _Stop it!_ ” The sound of Lena’s giggled rang again through the room, followed by a sound that looked so much like a moan that Lex wanted to puke. “ _I’m sorry, I’m listening._ ” Kara said.

“Actually, Kara, the reason I’m calling is I wondered if you’d like to have lunch next week.” Lillian spoke quickly, in a clear attempt to finish the call as quickly as possible – and, for that, Lex was more than grateful. Obviously, he could not help but notice the anger that was so present in his mother's usually unimpressive face, despite the pleasant voice she kept. That was not a good sign.

“ _Really?_ ” Kara asked in surprise.

“How would Tuesday work for you?” Lillian suggested.

“ _Yeah, Tuesday’s perfect!_ ” Kara said in a rushed tone. “ _Listen, Lillian, I’m kind of in the middle of something right now, um, but Tuesday’s fine._ ” Lex wanted to vomit, as well as to stab his own years. He did not really need to know what the ‘something’ Kara was in the middle of was.

“Yeah, me too. Lots to do.” The Luthor matriarch replied between clenched teeth.

“ _Okay, bye!_ ” Then the phone went dead.

Lex looked at his mother, and in response, she looked at him.

“I’ll get the vodka.” The bald man declared and quickly left the room. His mother looked angry enough to want to drink an entire bottle of any alcoholic drink offered to her, and he definitely needed something to make him forget that his younger sister had an active sex life.

…

Kara was worried – even if she was looking forward to it – about her lunch with Lillian, because it would be the first time she would be with the woman without Lena's company and support. However, she arrived punctually at the combined restaurant, a place that made her feel inadequate and ashamed. She was, of course, accustomed to the fancy restaurants where Lena liked to take her, but it was a completely different experience to be in such a place without the encouragement and comfort that only her fiancée could provide.

Fortunately, she saw Lillian quickly, and wasted no time in going to the table where the woman was, and her soon-to-be mother-in-law who rose to greet her.

“Kara.” The Luthor matriarch hugged her quickly as she greeted her.

“Am I late? I’m sorry.” She apologized promptly. What she wanted least was to make a bad impression on Lillian, especially since Lena was not there.

“No, I’m the one who’s early. Don’t worry.” Lillian assured her with a gentle smile and then turned her attention to the waiter who had stopped near the table. “Hi. I'm going to have the garden salad and the low-cal Chinese dressing and a decaf iced tea.” She said, and the man wrote her ordeal before turning to Kara.

“And you, Miss?”

“Oh, um, I'll just have a...” She looked at the menu. This clearly was not the kind of restaurant she liked – there were no potstickers anywhere – but she found something more than she liked and which, fortunately, was a simple and not too costly meal. “Cheeseburger with fries and a soda.”

“All right.” The waiter nodded and left.

“You continue to surprise me.” Lillian's voice caught Kara's attention. “Aren't you worried about fitting in your wedding dress?” The woman raised an eyebrow, and Kara looked down, ashamed.

“Well, I mean, I think the dress is supposed to fit my body, not the other way around.” She laughed awkwardly. “Besides, I have a fast metabolism, which Alex – she’s my sister – hates.” Remembering Alex was something that brought her some security, so she lifted her head to face Lillian again. She needed to make a good impression on Lena's mother, and she would not be able to do that if she was too embarrassed to look at her.

“I wish I had been that confident when I got married.” Lillian confessed in an almost distracted, somewhat thoughtful way. “I'll tell you one thing you're going to have that I never did, a stupendous wedding. Lionel and I went for simple when we got together.” She explained. “What about my place, for the wedding? That way we don't even need to book a location.” She suggested, raising an eyebrow at Kara. The reporter had already discussed this with Lena, so she merely nodded. “And Lena was born there and grew up there. Oh, it would mean so much to her. I'll plan it all. We'll have that marvelous band that the Wayne’s had at their wedding. And a divine cake.” At that point, Kara was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

Fortunately, the waiter chose this moment to bring the orders, which gave Kara a necessary pause to breathe and think about everything that was being said. However, she frowned when she saw something green on her plate, and she turned her attention to the man.

“Oh, um, excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“Is that kale?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Can I get another salad, then? Without the kale? I’m kind of allergic to it.” She asked awkwardly. She hated being the type of customer who sent the dish back, but she really could not eat kale.

The waiter nodded and took her plate back, leaving Kara alone with Lillian again.

“That’s surprising, since Lena loves it so much.” The Luthor matriarch said.

“Yeah, I found out when she made me eat it.” Kara chuckled. She was still able to remember perfectly the horrible experience and how desperate Lena had been with what had happened. The CEO refused to leave her until the doctor had said she was well, and even then, the dark-haired woman took a few days off from L-Corp to take care of Kara properly. “She thinks I should try eating more healthy things, but thankfully kale is now out of that list.” She was pretty sure the only reason Lena did not make her eat kale was the allergy.

“I see.” Lillian simply nodded, and she looked oddly interested, but Kara said nothing about it. “Where were we? Oh, the cake. I'm thinking traditional vanilla with strawberry drizzle.” She suggested.

Kara felt herself fidget, uncomfortable.

“Look, Lillian, I really do have all of this under control.” She said.

“But you don’t need to.” Lillian replied. “Oh, and...” She picked up her purse and began to rummage through it, searching for something, which, upon finding it, soon delivered Kara. “Present time from your new mother.” It was a fancy key. Simply looking at it made the younger Danvers think about expensive things.

“Keys?” She asked nervously.

“To the Lamborghini outside.” Kara choked on her own saliva at that. “Lena said you can’t drive. I thought a new car would be a good incentive to learn.”

“Oh no, Lillian, I can’t…” She began to argue. Kara never truly liked when Lena gave her overpriced gifts because that made her feel inadequate in the relationship, and because she was not with Lena because of her money. Because of that, the reporter certainly could not accept something like that from Lillian.

“I insist.” The older woman interrupted her and refused to accept the key back. “Now, about the wedding...” She started again. “The two of you are going to arrive in a horse and carriage. And the driver's top-hat will match the horse's saddles, and the ribbons on the doves that will be released at the exact moment of "I do," hmm? And I've been in touch with your bridesmaids.”

“How do you know their names?” Kara frowned.

“Well, Lena told me.” Lillian shrugged. “And I think for the honeymoon, Ireland’s the absolute best place for you to go, because Lena adores it…”

That was enough for Kara. She had been sitting all the time, listening to Lillian's fancy ideas about her marriage, when all she truly wanted was something simple, something only to reaffirm her commitment to the CEO. She did not like expensive, fancy things because it only reminded her of the difference between her and Lena and that she could never give her fiancée what the dark-haired woman could give her. Therefore, she could no longer hear what Lillian had to say.

“Hey, just hold on!” She asked, a little louder than she intended, and, finally, the older woman went silent. “Just wait a minute, okay?” She took a deep breath. “No. Thank you, but no. Thank you, but no to everything.” She had begun to speak calmly, as best she could, but with each word, she became more agitated, hurried, anxious. “No to the horse and buggy. No to the top-hats, and to the doves and geese and any other farm animals you're thinking of using that day. And definitely no to you planning our honeymoon…” It was then that she began to notice that Lillian looked uncomfortable, and that her breathing was uneven. “What?”

“Oh no. I can...” The older woman was saying hurriedly as she rummaged through her purse for something. “Oh!”

“What's wrong?” Kara stood up apprehensively. “‘Oh no’ what?”

“My pills, my pills…” Lillian kept saying, while her body trembled, gasping, and she frantically searching for something inside her purse, anxiously.

“Okay. Well, let me help you.” Kara started to get around the table, panicking over Lillian's condition, but before she could reach the woman, she collapsed from her chair, falling to the floor with a thud. “ _Lillian!_ ”

…

Kara paced around the hospital corridor, waiting for Lena to come back to give her some news about Lillian's condition. The reporter's heart was still racing with a sense of latent panic. She had not known what to do when she had seen what happened, and she had scarcely felt such fear in her life.

At last, she saw Lena approach, and soon came to her.

"So, how is she?" Kara asked as soon as Lena was in front of her. The blonde-haired woman promptly enveloped the CEO in a tight embrace, seeing the worried expression and defeated posture that was not characteristic of Lena Luthor.

"She had an anxiety attack, which can feel like a heart attack.” Lena explained. Kara swallowed hard; something like this could not be good, especially for someone who already had a bad history with anxiety. “Please remind me to get a medical degree when I have time. I don’t want to go through this again." The reporter almost found herself smiling at this. Lena was only twenty-five years old and had degrees in Bioenergetics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering and Administration, and now she wanted a Medical one just to take care of her mother. She was a genius, and she had possibly the kindest heart Kara knew.

Kara, however, forced herself to concentrate again on the situation in question, which was the state of health of her future mother-in-law.

"But is she going to be okay?" She asked worriedly.

"Yes, she is. Lex is with her. She just needs to take it easy, no stress.” Lena smiled a little, with a pang of relief, but the blonde-haired woman could see she was still apprehensive. Suddenly, the faint smile disappeared, and the CEO looked like a kicked puppy. “She said that you yelled at her, that you didn’t accept her gift, that you wouldn’t let her plan our wedding.” She said. Kara needed no more than her own conscience to make her feel guilty, but the sadness on her fiancée’s face nearly crushed her. “Please tell me it’s not true."

"We had a disagreement about it, but, wait, I didn’t yell at her. It's just...” Kara took a deep breath, remembering what had happened in the restaurant. She had certainly lost some of her composure, and for that reason, she felt terrible, but she did not think she had ever yelled at Lillian. “She kept pushing and pushing and...” She sighed. “Okay, I’ll admit that I might have snapped a little bit, but what was I supposed to do? She doesn’t take no for an answer." Not to mention that every suggestion given by Lillian made Kara feel more and more inadequate, out of place. It was a terrible feeling.

“I know she can be difficult, but she’s my mother and I’m worried about her.” Lena admitted. “Ever since Father died, she hasn’t been okay. She overworked herself at L-Corp after he died, to keep her mind out of the fact that he wasn’t here anymore.” She took a deep breath. Kara knew how difficult it was for Lena to talk about Lionel, especially because it had not even completed three years since the man's death. It was a delicate matter that the reporter avoided mentioning as much as possible so as not to bring her fiancée all the pain she was seeing on the face of the CEO now. “She ended up having a psychotic break and being admitted to a psychiatric hospital, you know that.” The blonde-haired woman simply nodded. “I just want her to be okay. Lex and I, and now you, we're all she's got."

“Okay.” Kara nodded and pulled Lena into a hug again. The dark-haired woman rested her head on her shoulder, a sign of exhaustion that was as much a fault of her work routine as of the stress she was facing because of her mother's situation. Kara, therefore, tried to be there for her and to support her. It was all she could do now.

The couple separated only when a woman, a doctor, came walking toward her, with a chart in hand.

“I'm Dr. Hamilton, the psychiatrist in residence.” She introduced herself. She smiled at both of the women before turning her gaze to Lena. “You’re Mrs. Luthor's daughter, Lena, right?”

“Yes.”

“May we speak in private?”

“Actually, this is my fiancée. We can talk.” Lena squeezed Kara's hand, which made the blonde-haired reporter feel a little less like an intruder, a little less out of place.

“Um, is she okay?” Kara asked then.

“Well, I just completed Mrs. Luthor's interview and I'm concerned. It's possible that she's on the verge of a psychotic break.” It was Kara's turn to squeeze Lena's hand, as a way to offer her some security and comfort. The last time Lillian had had such a thing, she spent an entire year in a psychiatric hospital. “I should probably see her at least twice a week, minimum. Also, I prescribed her some anti-anxiety medication. If she starts to feel overwhelmed, they'll relax her.” Lena simply nodded, always silent. “Does she live alone?”

“She lives with my brother.” The CEO replied.

“That’s good.” Dr. Hamilton nodded. “It’s best that she’s cared for by relatives, people that are closest to her during this time. Just until we're confident that she's out of danger.”

“Lex will take good care of her.” Lena assured her, although there was a sense of apprehension in her voice and her posture that Kara could not guess at. “Well, thank you, Doctor.” With a smile, Dr. Hamilton turned and left. The moment she disappeared down the corridor of the hospital, Lena closed her eyes and put a hand to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Oh, God.”

“Lena, what is it?” Kara asked worriedly.

“Lex and I, we’ve got that conference with Spheerical Industries in Metropolis, about the nanobots prototype, remember?” Kara nodded, because obviously she would not be able to forget such an important project, one in which Lena had been working for so long and was so eager to finish. She, too, was able to perceive the problem immediately. Lillian could not be alone, but Lex and Lena would not be in National City for an entire week. “What am I going to do?”

An idea formed in Kara's mind clearly, but her apprehension prevented her from announcing it immediately. However, watching Lena's full of despair face – which was even worse, because the CEO was someone who was usually so calm and composed, except when it was a family matter – was enough to convince her to speak.

“You know what? Don't worry about it. I'll take care of her.” She put her best smile on her face. Faced with what had happened to Lillian, Kara obviously feared being alone with her, but she could do it for Lena.

The CEO watched her silently for a long moment, with a look that Kara could not read. Eventually, however, a huge smile appeared on her face, the kind of smile that made the reporter believe any difficulty she faced would be worth it, and Lena kissed her quickly, but with a breathtaking enthusiasm.

“I love you and I could never thank you enough for doing this for me.” The dark-haired woman said, still smiling.

“You don’t need to thank me.” Kara assured her. Lena had a certain tendency to believe that everything that was done for her had a price, and that she had to do something in return, but all that the reporter wanted was that she was happy. That beautiful smile was payment enough.

Lena kissed her again before pulling her toward the room where Lillian was. Kara protested, not sure if her presence would do any good to her future mother-in-law, but eventually gave in. Alex was right; _she was so whipped_.

She entered the room, still apprehensive about what might happen inside, and saw Lillian lying on the hospital bed, with Lex sitting in the armchair beside her. She did not have time to say a word, since her mother-in-law surprised her by speaking first.

“I am so sorry.” Lillian spoke, looking directly at Kara. She was not terribly expressive, but it was possible to see that she was being honest.

“No, Lillian, don't be. It's okay, really.” Kara assured her, confused by the fact that the woman was apologizing. She had been overwhelming, but the reporter overreacted. “I'm sorry too.” She still felt guilty about what had happened, for having snapped that way, for having caused the current state of her fiancée's mother. She just wanted everything to be all right, for Lillian to be released and healthy, since she was fully aware of what the opposite might do to Lena.

“No, I was too pushy.” Lillian argued.

“No. You weren't.” She was, but Kara did not want to say that and start a discussion. She just wanted to make amends, for Lena's sake. “Look, Lillian...” She took a deep breath. “I’d love it if you’d help me with the wedding.” It would be a difficult task, but, hopefully, it would be a way to bring her even closer to a person who was so important to Lena. Although Lillian tended to be a little overwhelming, Kara wanted to get along with her, truly.

“It's all right, darling, l...” Lillian sighed. “I don't really think I'm up to it. My nerves are shot.”

Kara opened her mouth to argue, but Lena was quicker and spoke first.

“Mother...” The CEO approached Lillian's bed and took one of her hands. “Mom, Kara and I think you should stay with her, in our apartment, for a while, at least until Lex and I are back from the conference.” She communicated. Kara waited apprehensively for her answer.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to impose.” Lillian frowned. “I couldn't possibly. Not unless I know Kara's forgiven me.” She looked directly at the reporter as she spoke. “Will you?” After the question, Kara realized she was being watched, too, by both Lex and Lena, who were waiting for an answer as much as the Luthor matriarch did.

“Me?” She asked in surprise, and Lillian merely nodded. Inevitably, Kara found herself smiling. She had not destroyed her relationship with her mother-in-law and, as a result, had not harmed her relationship with Lena. She still had the opportunity to be friends with Lillian, to prove to her that she was worthy of her daughter, even if the woman had never asked for such proof. Therefore, the youngest Danvers displayed a huge, radiant smile. “Yeah, I forgive you.”

That was what was needed to resolve the situation. Lillian would spend a week with Kara in the apartment the blonde-haired reporter shared with Lena, and Kara would use every opportunity to try to be friends with her, to form a good relationship with her, to prove to Lillian and to herself that she was worthy of Lena’s love. It would be the best week _ever_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor, innocent Kara doesn't know what's in store for her... ;)  
> Well, apparently, I won't be able to finish this fic in only five chapters, so it'll be seven, okay? Just a warning.  
> Please tell me what you think of the chapter and what you expect to happen now. Thank you for all the support you've given me here, okay? Thank you!  
> See ya!


	4. Sleepless Nights and Misery

Lex watched as a group of hired men carried Lillian's most important belongings into Kara and Lena's apartment, directly to the only guest room that had been unoccupied until then. He knew his mother should not surprise him anymore, but the fact that she had actually gotten a week alone with Kara – without any interference from him or from Lena – was impressive, he had to admit. Obviously, he worried about the girl. She would not last three days with Lillian.

He alternated glances between everyone in the room, and for a moment, he stopped at Lena, Kara, and Lillian, who were talking to each other. He had watched his mother smile kindly at the reporter, in a show of an affection that was not really there, before turning to the blonde-haired woman’s sister and sister-in-law, whom he had met a few minutes ago.

"Could you please let me know if your sister has firearms at home?" He questioned the taller, shorthaired one, who had been introduced to him as Alex. Lex could hardly forget that name, given that it was so similar to his own. The bald man then only raised an eyebrow and waited for his question to be answered.

The older Danvers looked at him in surprise, and exchanged a glance with her wife, before turning back to him again.

"No, she doesn’t." She assured him, and for a moment he was sure she thought his question was because of his concern about Lillian. That woman clearly had no idea what the Luthor matriarch was capable of; Lillian definitely did not need a gun to follow through with her plan, but Kara would probably want to have one at some time during the week. Considering that the blonde-haired reporter was the sister of an FBI agent and sister-in-law to an NCPD detective, that could not be very difficult to arrange.

"She might want to get one." He commented with an indifferent shrug and turned his back on the couple, walking toward where his mother, his sister, and his future sister-in-law were. He had obviously had time to see the shock that had spread through the faces of both women and allowed himself to contemplate their innocence for a mere instant. He wondered if they would understand by the end of the week, when Kara would probably ask for help from one, or perhaps both, of them to get rid of her future mother-in-law.

Lex could not hardly blame the blonde-haired reporter if she did, after all.

…

Kara was as close to Lena as possible, her arms around the waist of the green-eyed woman. She was already beginning to miss the CEO, who had not even left to Metropolis, but she knew it was necessary. She had watched Lena dream about that project for so long, and she knew how important that was to her. Therefore, all she had left was to enjoy the time she had with the dark-haired woman before she had to leave.

“When will you be back?” She asked.

“Soon as I can, darling. I promise.” Lena smiled softly. “Are you sure you're going to be okay? I know my mother can be a little challenging, especially because she was a doctor and you know what they say...” She raised both of her perfect eyebrows.

“Doctors make the worst patients.” Kara completed the sentence and found herself chuckling. Lena merely smiled in satisfaction, looking at her with such warmth, love and admiration that the blonde-haired woman found herself blushing. “It’s going to be okay.” She assured. “Who knows? By the time you get back, maybe we’ll be best friends.”

She certainly hoped so. It was clearly important to Lena that Kara and Lillian would get along, and the reporter would do all she could to make it happen. There was little the CEO did not do for her, so anything that made Lena happy, Kara was willing to do. Besides, being friends with Lillian did not seem to be an arduous task, since the woman was so nice. Everything would be fine, after all.

“I’d like that.” Lena smiled softly. “If you have any problems, just call me. I’ll drop anything I’m doing to be on the first flight back, I promise.” She assured, and Kara knew she meant it. Still, she did not believe it would be necessary. Lillian seemed to like her, so everything would be all right, would not it?

“Okay.” She simply nodded. “Well, hurry home.”

“I’ll miss you so much. I love you.” Kara would never get tired of hearing Lena say that.

“I love you too.” She replied.

The reporter brought her lips to the CEO's and was about to kiss her when Lillian entered the room. She promptly put some distance between herself and her fiancée – Kara did not feel comfortable being so affectionate with Lena when Lillian was around.

“Oh, am I interrupting something?” The older woman raised an eyebrow, alternating looks between the two.

“No, Mother.” Lena sighed, but smiled at the woman.

“The caterer called. He still thinks I'm doing the wedding. He sent over a sample plate.” Lillian informed them. “Can you see if you like it? After all, everything has to go through my new daughter.” She smiled as she offered the plate in her hand for Kara to see. The blonde-haired woman smiled as she saw it – it was definitely beautiful.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Kara smiled at Lillian, who simply nodded.

“I’m glad you like it.” Surprisingly, the woman then enveloped Kara in a tight embrace that, after the shock was over, the reporter soon reciprocated. However, even the Kara puppy Danvers needed to realize that the hug was starting to last too long, especially when Lex appeared at the door and looked at them strangely before turning to his sister.

“Lena, it’s time to go.” He informed.

“Okay.” She nodded and turned to Kara and Lena, who were still hugging. “Bye, Mother. Bye, darling.” She said awkwardly, not seeing a chance to hug her mother or to kiss her fiancée as she wanted to. With a sigh, she headed out, since Lex had reminded her again that they needed to leave.

“We’ll have such a good week together.” Lillian assured next to Kara's ear, even if the reporter could only concentrate on the fact that she had not managed to properly say goodbye to Lena, but nodded and put a smile on her face. She would make this week the best ever.

…

By the third day, Kara was already beginning to question what Lillian had said. She felt exhausted, as she did not remember ever being, in such a way that her body felt heavy and she did not feel able to keep her eyes open for more than a few minutes without ending up napping. Obviously, Snapper had not appreciated her tiredness and, on the contrary, had sent her to do several interviews, which took up almost every moment of her work schedule.

The reason she had not been sleeping was that Lillian had made the activity almost impossible, even if that was not her intention – Kara was sure it was nothing more than a series of unfortunate events. The first night the woman had slept in the apartment, Kara awoke to the sound of noises coming from the guest room and, worried, she stood up to check on her future mother-in-law. Lillian was actually awake, pacing the room as if she was anxious.

Naturally, Kara worried.

“Are you okay, Lillian?” She questioned, approaching the woman, who at last had stopped walking.

“Of course, darling.” The Luthor matriarch replied with a weak smile. “I’m just a little anxious. I always get like this when sleeping in a new place.” She explained.

“Did you take your pills?” Kara asked. She was sure she had heard Lillian's doctor inform Lena and Lex that the pills would make the older woman sleep for sure, and if they were not working, the reporter might have to take her to the hospital for an exam.

“My pills?” Lillian frowned. “Oh no, I forgot.”

“No problem.” Kara smiled. The problem was something simple to solve, and something she could do to please her future mother-in-law. “I’ll bring them to you, okay? Get to bed. I’ll be right back.” Lillian nodded and Kara raced excitedly out of the room. She walked over to where Lena had left Lillian's pills and returned to the room only when she had two pills in one hand and a glass of water in another. “Here you go.” She handed them to the older woman with a contented smile, even though she was still a little sleepy.

“Thank you.” Lillian thanked her, sitting on her bed as Kara had asked. She put the pills in her mouth and took a long drink of water before putting the glass down on the bedside table. Kara smiled in satisfaction.

“I’ll be in my room if you need me.” The reporter said as she watched Lillian lie down.  “Have a good night.” She yawned briefly before turning back to the door and starting to walk out of the room, but stopped when she heard the voice of her future mother-in-law.

“Kara, darling?” The blonde-haired woman turned to Lillian again, worried. “I hate to ask you this – it’s quite pathetic of me – but seeing as this is my first night here, could you stay with me?” Kara considered the request for a brief moment. There was not much to think about; since the older woman needed her help and she would be more than happy to do it.

"Sure." She agreed with a soft smile. Kara might think sleeping in the same bed as her future mother-in-law was a little strange, but she would never deny the help Lillian seemed to need. This was, after all, the woman who had raised Lena and made her the wonderful woman the CEO was – the Luthor matriarch certainly deserved every gesture the reporter was willing to make for her.

Therefore, she laid down on the bed and curled up under the sheets. Kara had never had trouble sleeping, so as soon as she closed her eyes, sleep enveloped her. This, however, did not stay that way for so long, since at some point in the night, Kara woke up with screams.

Lillian was apparently having a nightmare, and she frantically trashed in bed. Kara tried to speak, to wake her somehow, but was stopped when the woman's arm suddenly slammed into her face, almost pushing her off the bed. The reporter tried again, but stopped when she needed to use her arms to protect herself from her soon-to-be mother-in-law slapping her frantically – in Lillian's nightmare, she obviously struggled with someone, it seemed. When the older woman finally calmed down, she threw an arm around Kara's waist and remained too close to the trembling, frightened figure of the blonde-haired woman.

Kara did not close her eyes again all night long, fearing that what had just happened could happen again. She needed to be wide awake so as not to be caught off guard and thus help Lillian when necessary. Fortunately, however, nothing else had happened all night, but the fact that Kara had spent it awake left her completely exhausted the next morning.

In addition, she was sure that her eye was still slightly bruised from the blow she had received. She obviously lied to Lillian and to everyone who asked her the next day, saying that she had simply smashed her face against the bedside table upon waking – it was no hard to believe, after all Kara was aware of how clumsy she was.

In the second night, she had been watching television, as The Little Mermaid was on and she loved that movie _so much_ – Lena had always made it clear how much she found Kara's love for Disney movies to be adorable. The blonde-haired woman was so engrossed in the movie that she had not noticed a presence behind her, standing behind the couch in which the reporter was partially lying down.

"I didn’t know you liked movies like that." The voice sounded so sudden that Kara screamed and panicked, jolting out of the couch. She glanced around frantically, her heart beating wildly and her breathing ragged, until she saw the quiet figure of Lillian, who was gazing at her with a raised eyebrow.

Kara let out a sigh of relief and put a hand to her chest, trying to calm her heart, which was still maddened with fear.

"I didn’t know you were there." She spoke in a still shaky voice and then put a smile on her face.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry.” Lillian said.

“It’s okay.” Kara assured. She knew Lillian had not meant to scare her, so she could not blame the woman for what had just happened. “I thought you were sleeping. Did the TV wake you up? Lillian, I’m so sorry…” She began to apologize. Kara did not think it was too loud, but if the older woman was a light sleeper, the sound of the television was clearly a problem.

“No, it wasn’t the television.” Lillian assured calmly. “I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Do you want to watch it with me?” She offered, uncertain whether the older woman would have any interest in watching Disney movies. Still, it was a way to spend some time with Lillian and try to get to know her better, and hopefully form a good relationship with her, which would make Lena happy when she was back.

“What if we watch something better, such as Lena’s childhood videos?” The Luthor matriarch raised an eyebrow, and Kara smiled widely, excited, nodding like a child in pure joy.

Kara had loved watching the videos of a little Lena Luthor – she would never get over how adorable she was – but she had regretted spending her entire night watching them, because the exhaustion that had accompanied her the day before had doubled in the following day. She eventually fell asleep at her desk as she typed in the article Snapper had demanded that she deliver at the end of the day, which, unfortunately, her boss saw.

"You're not paid to doze off, ponytail!" He hit one of his big hands hard against Kara's desk, and the sudden loud noise made her wake up in a panic. She found herself nodding, not even aware of what her boss had said, and as soon as she realized she was still at work, she found herself forced to focus on her article again, even if she could barely keep her eyes open.

In addition to lack of sleep, two factors further destroyed her usually usual sunny disposition. In the first place, Lillian hardly allowed her to eat anything she liked, insisting that during these days before the wedding, it was important to have a healthy diet. She was much stricter than Lena – the CEO had never required Kara to stop eating what she liked, though she advised her to include something healthier in the foods she loved. Lillian, however, made it impossible for Kara to eat anything she liked, including potstickers – the reporter had no idea how she was surviving without Noonan's potstickers; this was her own personal hell.

Moreover, she had not really spoken to Lena since the CEO had traveled to Metropolis with Lex. It seemed that every time her fiancée called, Lillian was nearby and would automatically pick up the phone and take all of Lena’s free time, so as not to allow Kara much more than a few words. The blonde-haired woman was missing her fiancée _so much_ , and the fact that she had not been able to even talk to her for so long had made everything even worse.

However, in spite of everything, Kara tried to remain always happy and willing whenever she was in the apartment. She did not want to make Lillian feel unwelcome, so she did her best not to let the woman notice how much her presence was wearing the reporter. Kara knew that none of this was Lillian's fault, that this was simply a bad week, that it had nothing to do with the Luthor matriarch, and therefore the blonde-haired would never forgive herself if she took any part of her frustration out in her future mother-in-law. Even if the lack of sleep was starting to make her a little irritated.

In addition, there was always a reason to smile. She was sure that Lillian was beginning to like her more, and together with that, each day that passed was a day closer to Lena's arrival, which, despite her exhaustion, was more than enough reason for her put a huge smile on her face and follow through with her day in the best possible way. By the end of the week, Kara had no doubt that everything would be worth it and that, to Lena's happiness, she would be a close friend of her future mother-in-law. It was all she could ask for.

…

On the morning of the fifth day, Kara had the day off, and after yet another sleepless night – this time it was entirely up to Snapper, who wanted the article on the corruption scandal at Lord Technologies ready and sent to his email before seven o'clock A.M. – she was _exhausted_. The reporter felt so tired that she was dozing off on the sofa, with the laptop with which she had just sent the article still in her lap.

She woke up startled at the sound of an air horn. In panic, she looked around, and found Lillian, who was looking at her with an expression of guilt.

“I'm sorry. I thought it was air freshener.” The woman said.

“It’s okay.” Kara assured her, but, despite what she said, it really was not okay. She was exhausted and miserable. However, as usual, she forced herself to keep a smile on her face to look happy and cheerful, at least until Lillian left for an appointment with Dr. Hamilton. It was only then that the blonde-haired woman allowed herself to collapse on the couch, unable to stand or force the smile to continue on her face.

However, she did not even have time to fall asleep again, as the sound of someone knocking on her door, followed by her sister's voice, forced her to stay awake. With a grunt, Kara stood up and dragged herself to the door, opening it to reveal the smiling figures of Alex Danvers and Lucy Lane. However, the smiles of the FBI agent and the lawyer soon disappeared when they saw Kara's condition.

“You look horrible.” Alex frowned and immediately entered the apartment, worried about her sister.

“Is that all because you’re missing Lena?” Lucy raised an eyebrow and, in spite of her playful tone, there was a noticeable concern in her eyes. “I know she’s a fine piece of ass, but…” She stopped talking when Kara hugged Alex, rested her head on her sister's shoulder and closed her eyes as if to sleep.

“Kara, are you okay?” The older Danvers asked, concerned.

“I’m tired, I haven’t eaten a single potsticker in _five days_ , and I’m missing my fiancée.” Kara replied. “I don’t think I’m okay.” She curled up in Alex's arms. She felt miserable and, if she felt that way, how could she make Lena's mother like her? She needed Lillian's approval, even if only as a way to prove to herself that she was worthy of the L-Corp CEO's love. However, such a task was beginning to seem impossible, and she was _so tired_.

“Okay, tell us what’s going on.” Alex asked and, along with Lucy, guided Kara to the sofa where the three of them sat.

Kara did just that. She told them how she had not slept properly for five nights, and the reasons why that happened. She told them how Lillian would not let her eat anything but healthy things, which was a stark contributor to make her mood worse. She told them how Lillian always interrupted her conversations with Lena and monopolized all the CEO's free time. She talked about how inadequate and out of place she felt whenever Lillian took her to some fancy store to discuss details of the wedding, or when she had suggested including Kara in her will. Kara hated to feel like she was taking advantage of the Luthor family's money; that was not the reason she was with Lena.

Both Alex and Lucy remained surprisingly quiet the entire time she told how her week had been. Her sister only hugged her as tightly as possible as a way to provide some support, and the younger Lane stroked her hair as she talked.

"I don’t know what to do anymore, I feel like I’m going insane.” Kara hid her face in the curve of Alex's neck. “I can’t do this."

“Yes, you can.” Lucy replied promptly, pulling Kara to force her to stop hiding. She held the blonde-haired woman's face in her hands, so that the reporter looked at her, and smiled. “Stop being such a crybaby.” She joked, but unfortunately for her, Kara did not smile. “Look, Lena is one of the best things that ever happened in your life. Kara, don’t give up on that woman.”

Kara just nodded. In fact, the week had been difficult, but she had never thought of leaving Lena. She no longer knew how to live without her – the reporter did not remember having ever loved anyone so much, and it would not be a bad week that would make her give it up.

“Why don’t you call Lena?” Alex suggested, making Kara look at her. “I’m sure she’ll be back the second you tell her mother’s a bitch.” At that, the younger Danvers frowned.

“Don’t call Lillian that.” Kara retorted. “This isn’t her fault.”

“Kara, she’s clearly doing all this on purpose.” Alex replied, frowning.

"Alex..." Kara began to argue, but was interrupted by Lucy's voice, and finally realized the woman was no longer by her side as before.

"Hey, look what I found!" The younger Lane announced, and came walking from Lillian's room, with a folder full of papers in hand.

“What are you doing? Why were you in her room?” Kara stood up, and Alex did so too.

“I was in her room, investigating to see what kind of monster manages to destroy Kara Danvers' sunny disposition like this, and look what I found.” Lucy explained, and then handed the folder to the Danvers sisters, who were finally able to analyze its content. There were several documents containing various information about Kara. “She's been investigating you.”

“I can’t believe this.” Alex whispered more to herself than to anyone else. “Why does she have your high school transcripts?” She asked in disbelief as she took a specific paper.

“I know, right?” Lucy raised both eyebrows.

“When did she take so many photos of me?” Kara frowned at the number of photographs, in various places and in the company of several people, which were scattered in the folder. At no time did she notice that she was being followed, which was even more frightening.

“Okay, I’ll look at her room.” Alex suddenly announced and started walking toward Lillian's room.

“Alex, wait! You can’t just go through her things.” Kara held her, looking at her with a pang of panic, all her previous exhaustion completely forgotten in the face of what she had discovered.

“Watch me.” Alex easily pulled away from her and moved on to Lillian's room, where, under Kara's protests, she rummaged through it in a matter of minutes, as a result of the training she had received as an FBI agent. She stopped only when she found a small box of pills, which she showed to Kara and Lucy. “What are these?” She frowned.

“Those are just her anti-anxiety pills.” Kara explained, anxious. She was afraid Lillian would return at any moment and find out that she had gone through her things. This would not end well, especially if, it seemed, the Luthor matriarch did not like her as much as Kara thought.

“Ooh, these are good.” Lucy smirked.

“Really?” Alex raised an eyebrow.

“They'd knock out a horse. I have these at home.” The younger Lane said as she picked up the small box and opened it, examining its contents.

“Why the hell would you…?” Alex started to ask, but stopped herself and sighed. “You know what? Forget I asked.”

“Wait.” Lucy frowned, catching the Danvers sisters’ attention. “I don't know what these are, but they're definitely not what I take. They smell like oranges or something.” She reported after smelling the box, holding it back to Alex, who caught it strangely.

“Are you sure?” The older Danvers raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” Lucy assured her, and as the younger Lane had done earlier, Alex sniffed the box, confirming what the lawyer had said.

“She’s right.” Alex sighed. “I’ll take these to work, see what they are.” She informed.

“Alex.” Kara frowned.

“Kara, she’s been torturing you for an entire week and I want to know why.” Alex argued, and although the younger Danvers did not want to admit it, it seemed that the agent was right. “Did you ever stopped to think about what you’re going to do if these aren’t what she says they are?”

“What should I do?” She asked, wincing. Kara no longer understood this situation, she did not know what else to do. She truly wanted Lillian to like her, but she did not seem to be doing a good job at it. She had been so happy about being able to get along with her mother-in-law, and now everything was ruined.

“Some good, old-fashioned revenge.” Lucy suggested with a smirk.

“No.” The blonde-haired woman replied promptly.

“Kara!” Both the agent and the lawyer started to protest, but, before one of them could say something, Kara spoke.

“Look, I can’t. She may even be doing it all on purpose, but she is Lena's mother. Apparently, she already hates me, and I don’t want to make her hate me even more. Please don’t do anything. Please.” She was practically begging. Lena would be back in two days, and until then Kara would need to stay with Lillian. She still had time; she could still make her mother-in-law like her. She could still fix everything, she knew she could. However, it would be impossible to do so if her sister and her friend did something against the Luthor matriarch, which was all that the reporter did not need at that moment.

She looked at the two women with puppy eyes, something she knew the lawyer and the agent could not resist. Soon they both snorted, clearly displeased with the situation.

“Okay.” Begrudgingly, Alex and Lucy agreed.

…

Kara said good-bye to Alex and Lucy, who headed to the older Danvers apartment. Maggie was not home, since she had been called to work due to an emergency, which left the pair alone, sitting on the sofa in the living room. Alex was still reflecting on what she had discovered in her sister's apartment, and the twitching of her lips and her frowning indicated her displeasure at the whole situation. Lucy, however, smirked.

"We're not going to let Mama Luthor win, are we?" The younger Lane broke the silence in the apartment, and her face was enough for Alex to read every diabolical plan that was forming, each strategy aimed at making Lillian Luthor's life a complete hell, as revenge for what she had been doing to the youngest Danvers.

"Kara asked us not to get involved." Alex frowned. She did not like the idea more than Lucy seemed to, but she should respect her sister's wish, right?

"Kara is too much of a saint for her own good.” Lucy rolled her eyes as she argued. “I'd say Mrs. Luthor needs a lesson. What do you say, Danvers?” She raised an eyebrow. “I'm sure Sawyer will agree with me." Alex knew the younger Lane was right. Maggie would not miss the opportunity to terrorize Lillian Luthor's life as soon as she found out what the woman was doing to Kara. She, likewise, would not hesitate to do so, were it not for her sister's request.

Alex could recognize the truth in Kara's words; she knew that, after all, her sister was right. Fighting back would mean getting involved in Lillian’s game, and that could end terribly, especially if Lena found out what was happening. Kara's greatest fear was that Lillian would end up liking her even less, since the Luthor matriarch’s approval seemed to matter to the reporter – even if the older Danvers could not understand why. Alex, however, did not need Lillian's approval, and she certainly would not seat and watch while the woman terrorized her sister's life until the blonde-haired woman possibly gave up on the best relationship she had ever had.

In the end, the choice was more than obvious. It was not even really a choice.

“Well, it’s like they say; payback _is_ a bitch.” Alex smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Kara...  
> Well, all I can say is that next chapter we'll see puppy Kara Danvers being cute and way more of both Alex and Lucy. What do you think will happen?  
> Please, tell me what you think of this chapter. Thank you all for reading this story. :D  
> See ya!


	5. Turning Tables

Kara had no idea how to get Lillian to like her, how to get the Luthor matriarch to approve of her relationship with Lena. She knew how important family was to the CEO, especially when it came to Lillian. Therefore, it was important for her to get along with her future wife's mother, if she wanted to have a good and long-lasting marriage – and anyone who spent five minutes with her would know how much she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Lena.

However, she should know that this would not be a simple task, mainly because of Alex and Lucy.

At first, she had not thought about her sister's visit the next day, mainly because she had been too distracted with the cutest dog she had ever seen in her life. Apparently, Maggie had finally agreed that they should have a dog, which Alex named Gertrude. Then, Kara found herself engrossed in a conversation with her sister, in which the main subject was both Lena and Maggie, and how the Danvers girls were lucky to have found them.

This, however, only lasted until the moment when Lillian returned home, and after a quick greeting to the Danvers, went to the room she had been occupying. Kara started to talk to Alex again, but was again interrupted by the sound of her soon-to-be mother-in-law's voice.

"Kara!" The reporter did not hesitate to run to the room, intending to see what it was about. What she found, however, made her pale. The room was a complete chaos of torn cloth and broken glass, in the midst of which was the dog her sister had recently brought to the apartment, and whom Kara had lost sight of, since she had been so distracted by the conversation.

All Kara needed was to see the grin that her sister had to struggle to fight while Alex scolded Gertrude as gently as possible, indicating that she did not really disapprove of the dog's actions. Kara could not believe her sister and sister-in-law decided to have a dog for the simple purpose of further ruining her relationship with her mother-in-law.

As if that was not enough, Lucy had traded Lillian's fake medicines for the real ones, and the woman collapsed in the living room, much to the panic of the reporter, who calmed down only when her friend – who curiously had decided to visit that night – reported what she had done. Kara scolded Lucy the entire time she forced the lawyer to help her carry Lillian to bed.

Maggie had also gotten involved in the evil plans of Alex and Lucy, and had come on the last day before Lena came home, to some not-so-subtle comments about how she carried a gun around and was more than willing to get rid of anyone who try to harm Kara. The reporter could almost imagine that Lillian had been frightened by such words, though she could not be sure – the Luthor matriarch was not very expressive at all.

However, she finally had a reward after the hellish week she had when she woke up on the couch to light kisses all over her face. She opened her eyes to see Lena’s beautiful face and her gentle green eyes, as her fiancée was looking at her with obvious concern. The CEO promptly pushed Kara's hair from her face, and kissed her cheek once more.

"You don’t look well, darling." She commented, frowning.

"I had a difficult week at work." It was not a complete lie, since Snapper had been in a worse mood than usual all week. However, Kara did not want to tell Lena what Lillian was up to - she knew it would break the heart of her fiancée, just as it would completely ruin any chance she had of having matriarch Luthor like her. “When did you arrive?” She asked, disappointed she missed the opportunity to get Lena at the airport.

“Half an hour ago. Lex brought me here.” Lena informed. However, she did not seem to pay much attention to the topic, especially as she watched Kara with obvious concern. "It's not good for you to sleep on the couch. I'll help you go to bed." And she did just that. She helped Kara get up and held her as she helped the exhausted reporter walk toward the bed, where the blonde-haired woman promptly collapsed and curled over the sheets.

"Do you need to go to L-Corp?" Kara asked, not finding in herself strength enough to even open her eyes. She wanted to be with Lena for as long as she could, especially because she had missed her for a whole week, but she understood her fiancée's duties at work.

“No.” Lena replied and laid down next to Kara in bed, promptly pulling the reporter into her arms. "I'll stay with you for as long as you want. I missed you so much." She kissed the top of the reporter's head, who snuggled into the CEO's arms in response.

Safe in Lena’s arms, for the first time in a week, Kara felt truly happy. She felt as if everything was going to be all right.

…

Lex had reasons to believe that the dinner proposed by Lena one day after getting back from Metropolis would not end well. Firstly, his mother was absolutely furious that she had not yet been able to drive Kara out of Lena's life, not to mention the events of the past three days, in which Kara's friends and family did what Lex could only call revenge. Such actions led to the second reason, which would be Lillian being in the same room with Alex Danvers, Lucy Lane, and Maggie Sawyer, figures the Luthor matriarch had come to regard as despicable – as well as adding them to her established list of reasons why Kara was unfit for Lena.

He therefore approached the trio hated by his mother as soon as he saw them in the living room of the mansion – which was the place chosen by Lena for such a dinner. The three women watched him suspiciously almost immediately and he truly could not blame them for it, not after what Lillian had made Kara go through. However, this did not prevent him from making an attempt to get along with his future sister-in-law's family, even if only for Lena's sake – and a little bit for his own. He did not want to be on those women’s bad side.

“So, how’s the bride-to be holding up?” He asked as he approached. For obvious reasons, he had an interest in knowing about Kara's condition, mainly because of Lena, but also to make sure that his mother had not completely lost her mind – as he thought was the case.

Alex Danvers narrowed her eyes at him.

“Under the circumstances, I’d say mediocre. But she’s tough.” She replied, and by the way she had spoken, it was clear that she believed in his involvement with Lillian's plans. Although he did not really approve, he could not say that he had no part in what had happened. His silence was more than enough aid to his mother's madness.

“Not as tough as the old lady.” He shrugged.

“What does that mean?” The question, this time, came from Maggie, who, just as the woman whose hand she held, had narrowed her eyes at the bald man.

“For your own safety, make sure you know where the emergency exits are at all times.” He advised and, without waiting for an answer, turned his back and left. He had no interest in starting an argument with that trio, especially when Lucy Lane looked at him as if about to draw a gun and shoot him in the head.

After that, dinner had begun, and Lex had not felt even more uncomfortable during business dinners with people he hated. There was visible tension between Lillian, Alex, Lucy and Maggie, not to mention Kara. Lena had remained steadfast all along, always with an attempt to make the mood more enjoyable and fun, and luckily, she had the help of the friends of Kara, Winn Schott and James Olsen for such a feat. Eliza Danvers had a thoughtful expression on her face, and she knew she would not be long in finding out what was going on.

The trigger, however, was the appearance of Dr. Hamilton, who had apparently been invited by Alex Danvers. Lena had obviously seen no problem in such an invitation, but Lex knew their mother did not like it, especially since she had paid the doctor to inform Lena and Kara of a fake diagnosis. As soon as Alex – who apparently started at medical school, but never finished – began to question subtly enough about Lillian's diagnosis, the Luthor matriarch got up and headed for the kitchen.

Whatever instinct he had that forced himself from his chair, Lex followed her, with the excuse of getting more wine. Luckily, no one seemed interested in questioning or going after him.

“What’s going on?” He asked suspiciously as soon as he saw his mother moving frantically close to the counter, where there were some dishes served by the servants during dinner. Luckily, there was no one in the kitchen now. “What are you doing?”

“I’m behaving.” Lillian answered and Lex finally got close enough to see what she was doing: Adding bits of kale in the gravy.

“Mother, no!” He tried to pull her hands away, but she promptly let go and went back to what she was doing. “You can’t! Kara’s allergic to kale!” He remembered this information perfectly, seeing as it had gone through his mind how many possibilities Lillian could use it against Kara. However, he never truly thought that his mother would come to such lengths. That was his mistake.

He managed to get the gravy out of his mother's hands, and she promptly glared at him.

“Give it to me.” Lillian demanded and, without waiting for an answer, pulled it back.

“Mother, you’re crazy.” Lex argued as he tried to stop her from proceeding, unsuccessfully. He was already beginning to regret the day he went to get his mother in the madhouse. She clearly should have spent more time there if the psychotic behavior she was presenting was any indication.

When she finally stopped mixing pieces of kale in the gravy and began to return to the dining room, he decided it was time to retort to his last option.

“Put the gravy down or I’m telling Lena.” It was a threat he feared he would have to fulfill, but it was necessary. Lex knew how Lena’s heart would break if she knew that Lillian was doing everything to ruin her relationship with Kara, especially since his younger sister had always placed their mother on a pedestal as if she were incapable of mistakes. Finding out the truth would be very difficult for her, and it was something Lex preferred to avoid as much as he could. His mother, however, was not giving him a choice.

Lillian, in turn, stared at her son in disbelief.

“What’s the big deal?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “So she’ll be a little nauseous…”

“A little nauseous?” He interrupted her. “Allergic reactions to kale may include nausea, diarrhea, intestinal cramps, pain in the muscles and high fever.” He had been careful to research this when he learned that his mother could use this information against Kara.

"Taking into account everything she eats, that could be caused by anything." Lillian rolled her eyes.

“Mother, think about what you’re doing.” Lex insisted. “Come on, your only daughter’s getting married in a few days. And you were a doctor; you know better than to mess up with people’s allergies.” He argued.

“Lex, when did you lose your edge?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Right after you lost your mind.” He deadpanned, much to her surprise. “Come on.”

Lillian stared at him for a long time, longer than he felt comfortable with. Finally, she sighed, looking defeated.

“All right. Okay. No kale.” She agreed, much to his relief. “Come on.” She turned to the counter, where she had left the gravy, and frowned. “Where’s the…?”

“Where’s the what?” He raised both eyebrows, the previous worry beginning to resurface. It was not possible that he had been distracted enough with his mother not to have noticed that one of the servants had come and took the gravy, was it?

“ _Gravy? More gravy? Anyone for more gravy?_ ” It was, since he heard one of the people on the staff ask from the dining room.

He turned to his mother.

“Okay, what do we do now?”

“Maybe she won't take any gravy.” She suggested.

However, her words were promptly invalidated by Kara's voice.

“ _This gravy's delicious!_ ”

“I should’ve known.” At the tone of his mother's voice, Lex could almost see her face palm.

“You have to go. You have to stop her.” He said.

“You go.” She retorted, trying to push him to the dinning room.

“Why me?” He turned to her. “You did this! You go!”

“You’re my son.” She replied as if the answer was obvious.

“What am I supposed to do? Go out there and stick my finger down my sister’s fiancée’s throat?” He asked in his most sarcastic tone, so as to make his mother realize the madness she was suggesting, but she merely rolled her eyes at him.

“Exactly.” Lillian answered, and before he could give her any answer, another voice sounded.

“ _Darling, are you okay?_ ” It was Lena’s voice, and it sounded worried.

“ _Lee, my stomach’s weird. I think there’s something wrong._ ” He then heard Kara's voice, full of pain and discomfort.

_Well, shit._

“ _Kara, are you okay?_ ” He heard Alex’s voice, as worried as Lena’s sounded before.

Lex turned to Lillian, desperate.

“What are we going to do now?”

“Hide the damn kale, of course.” She replied, and he had no choice other than helping her hide all the evidence of the part she played in Kara’s condition.

After getting rid of any trace of kale that could indicate that the fault was due to him or his mother, Lex returned to the dining room and asked what had happened – as if he did not know. According to Winn and James, Kara had run to the bathroom, where she remained vomiting violently, while Maggie and Lucy insisted that Dr. Hamilton help. Lena, Alex, and Eliza had promptly chased after the blonde-haired reporter with the intention of helping her.

In the course of the hours, Lex could not help feeling bad about what had happened, and even if that did not compensate, he offered to take his sister and his future sister-in-law back home, where Kara could recover from what had happened. Dr. Hamilton had diagnosed it as an allergic reaction – and he knew she was right.

Nothing seemed able to placate the guilt inside him, because he could have avoided the whole situation if he had spoken to Lena, if he had told her what their mother was planning. He had not done it, and to see that the result was the pain and despair of his beloved little sister shattered him from the inside.

Lex remembered several times in which she had seen Lena so afflicted, but he knew that he had seen her _like this_ only on one occasion: when Lionel fell ill. She looked desperate, with a worried, exhausted look and a defeated posture. If he was not sure she loved Kara before, he was now. And that was why he made the decision he realized he should have made a long time ago, when Lillian caused the break-up between Lena and Sam.

He walked to her, with silent steps, careful not to wake Kara. He knew the reporter had had a difficult week with his mother and wanted her to have all the time she could rest. However, he could not postpone this conversation any longer.

“Lena?” He caught his sister’s attention. “We need to talk.”

“Not now, Lex.” She replied, seeming unwilling to abandon her sleeping fiancée.

“It’s very important.” He retorted, refusing to allow this to continue for another second. She looked at him hesitantly, but finally nodded. Lena asked Alex – who had been sitting on the living room sofa all the time – to stay with Kara while she talked to Lex, and finally the man found himself alone with his younger sister.

He did not know how to say it to her, but he knew he had to. Therefore, he began to speak.

…

Lillian did not know what to expect when she heard raucous knocks on the door amid possibly one of the strongest rains National City had faced in years. However, she knew that no one who did not have prior access to the mansion could get to the front door, and that was enough to inform her that it was either Lex or Lena.

She hurried to the door and opened wide, so she could see her youngest daughter. Lena was completely soaked and behind her, the door of the car she had used to come was still wide open. The CEO's body trembled almost convulsively and her breathing was erratic. Her wet hair was clinging to her pale face. All this, however, was almost lost in Lillian Luthor's vision when she saw all the pain in the green eyes she knew so well.

Her first thought was that the blonde-haired idiot had finally shown her true colors, and that was enough to make her think of every possibility with which she could ruin Kara Danvers' reporter career – her whole life, even. However, it was something to be discussed at another time. Lena needed her more now.

"Darling, you're going to end up catching a cold. Come in.” She hurried to say. As a child, Lena had always fallen ill easily, and although she had improved as she grew older, Lillian still feared for her health as she had feared when her daughter was merely a four-year-old with an uncontrolled coughing and a violent fever.

Lena, however, shook her head in denial and wrapped her arms around her own body. Lillian could feel the cold air entering the house through the open door, and the humidity must make the environment freezing for her youngest daughter. She frowned, not understanding the attitude of the CEO.

"I don’t want to come in, Mother.” Lena stated in a trembling, rather hoarse voice, and it was only then that Lillian noticed that, mingled with the raindrops sliding down her daughter's alabaster skin, there were tears, too. “I just want to talk to you. Actually, I just want you to answer a single question." She said, shaky, almost uncertain, in a way that the Luthor matriarch could not associate directly with her daughter.

"As you wish.” The older woman replied, frowning. “Ask."

"Is it true?” Lillian's frown deepened at the question, which she could not understand. “Is it true you pretended to be sick just to spend a week with Kara and terrorize her while I was away?" Lena asked, and for longer than she would like to admit, the older woman remained silent and motionless, surprised by what she had just heard.

"Lex told you." The answer came almost automatically the second she remembered her son's threat that he would tell Lena if she did something he thought was drastic.

"It's true then." There was so much heartache in Lena's voice that Lillian could not help but see again the image of her daughter in front of Lionel's tombstone, her face red and filled with tears, her eyes carrying so much pain that she seemed about to collapse at any moment. She would give all she had, all her possessions and all her fortune, never to see that look on her daughter again, but, apparently, she had failed.

"Lena..." Lillian tried to speak but was interrupted.

"No, don’t talk to me.” Lena spoke, her voice even more shaky than before, and she closed her eyes tightly. “Why would you do that?"

"That girl isn’t good enough for you, Lena." Lillian responded promptly. In her mind, this was more than enough response. At some point, Lena would need to realize she deserved better than that reporter, a girl who would eventually break her heart without thinking twice.

"It's not up to you to decide that.” Lena replied as she finally opened her eyes. Her voice sounded more secure, but at the same time a little angrier, and that was not something that the Luthor matriarch liked. “Did you at least try to get to know her? From the second I met Kara, I was sure that _I_ wasn’t good enough for her, because she's simply the most wonderful person I've ever had the opportunity to meet in my life.” Lillian had to stop herself from scoffing. The mere thought of her daughter feeling unworthy of anyone was unthinkable to her. “You didn’t care about that. All that mattered to you was to ruin the best relationship I ever had, to end my engagement, and why?”

“Lena...” She tried to speak, but her daughter interrupted her.

“... Because of a stupid belief that you need to protect me from the woman who loves me.” There was a disbelief inherent in the phrase that made Lillian think that Lena was trying to convince herself that it was not true, despite what she had heard from Lex and despite Lillian's confirmation. However, the CEO could not ignore the truth, and certainly did not seem willing to do so. “How dare you do that to her?” Lena was starting to get out of control, sounding much more aggressive than Lillian thought she was capable, and the older woman did not like it at all. Her daughter had always been calm and controlled, respectful, and it would not be now that the Luthor matriarch would allow anything different.

“Who do you think you’re talking to, Lutessa Lena Luthor?” She narrowed her eyes as she spoke, and she hated the way her voice sounded so defensive. She truly did not want to fight with Lena – she could not remember a single time she had to do it, even in the slightly more rebellious years of her youngest daughter. Lillian certainly was not willing to start a fight over a simple reporter, but she would if her daughter did not calm down.

“I honestly have no idea.” Lena's answer was followed by a bitter laughter that sounded muffled by the rain, and took Lillian by surprise. “I’d like to say you’re my mother, a woman that I love, respect and admire more than anyone else, but I don’t know who you are now. I refuse to believe the woman who did what you did to Kara is the same woman who raised me.” Lillian was shocked and hurt to hear this, not sure how to respond, or even if she should. Lena had never spoken to her like that. “I can’t believe you did that.” She watched her daughter take one hand to her wet hair. There was a desperation and a pain present in her face and in her eyes that begged Lillian not to argue, but the older woman did it anyway.

“Lena…” She tried to speak, but, as it had happened more often than she had liked since the conversation began, she was interrupted.

“Don’t talk to me. I can’t even look at you right now.” Lena narrowed her eyes for a moment and pressed her hands to her temples. She always did it at the beginning of a headache, Lillian knew. “You need to go to my apartment with me and apologize to Kara.” There was a certain authority in her voice; the kind she used only in the office, when necessary.

“You know I’m not going to do that.” Lillian narrowed her eyes in response. She was not about to apologize for trying to protect her daughter.

“Fine.” Lena sighed. She looked immensely exhausted, as if a huge weight had been placed on her shoulders. “Do what you want, but please be clear, you’re no longer invited to our wedding.” She lowered her head, as if she could not look at her mother as she said it, and Lillian opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She was completely silent at what she had just heard.

Finally, Lena lifted her head again and looked Lillian straight in the eye, and the older woman knew that she had never seen such certainty in her daughter's eyes as she saw at that moment.

“I love that woman and I’m going to marry her whether you like it or not.” Lena did not wait for an answer and instead turned her back on her mother and walked back to her car.

Lillian knew she should stop her, she knew she should not let Lena drive when she was clearly so upset, especially in the rain. However, she was too paralyzed by what she had heard and thus allowed her daughter to leave, letting her disappear from sight quickly in the midst of the storm. She watched Lena go away quietly, and almost automatically, entered the mansion again and closed the door. She went to the phone and dialed Lex's number, and when her son answered, she told him what had happened and that he should find Lena, keep her safe, and stop her from doing anything stupid. Lillian did not give him time to respond before finishing the call.

Finally, she walked to her sofa, where she sat down slowly. She stood there, staring into nowhere, and felt something wet on her face. She took a hand to clean it – it was probably a raindrop that had spilled into her while she stayed in front of the open door – but when it happened again, she realized she was actually crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished writing this just now, when I'm so tired I'm practically a zombie, so I'm sorry if there's any mistakes.  
> I know, I know... I'm a bitch who took forever to update. Short version of the reason why: My sister bought me It, by Stephen King, and I've been using all my free time to read it. I'm really sorry.  
> I'll answer the comments of this story tomorrow, okay? It eleven P.M. right now and I'm super tired.  
> About the chapter... Well, trust me to turn something that should be funny into angst. It's just a me thing, I think.  
> Well, that's it. Sorry for the delay and thank you for all the support you have been giving to this story.  
> See ya!


	6. Change of Heart

Kara woke up dazed. Her stomach was still uncomfortable and she knew that this would still last for some time, as it had the last time. She groped for the free side of the bed, looking for Lena, but did not find her. The reporter opened her eyes and looked around, worried, but instead of her fiancée, she found only emptiness. Then she could hear voices from outside the room, although at first she could not understand what was said.

Kara forced herself to stand up and felt her stomach twist painfully. She walked slowly toward the closed door, feeling her abdomen burn in pain with every step she had taken, and opened the door, so that she could see Alex and Lex arguing fervently. She did not have the opportunity to understand what the fight was about, as they both immediately noticed her presence and went silent. The silence that reigned was uncomfortable.

"What’s happening?" She asked, and her voice sounded hoarser than she intended. She cleared her throat, which was as dry as her mouth. Kara felt horrible, but there was something on the faces of her sister and her future brother-in-law that prevented her from going back to bed and making another attempt to sleep, not to mention Lena's absence. The reporter knew that her fiancée would never leave her in such a situation, so something must have happened, but what?

"Kara, you need to go back to bed. You're not well yet." Alex finally spoke and walked over to her sister. She tried to guide her back to the bedroom, but even as weak as she was, Kara resisted. She had a very bad feeling.

"No. What's happening?” She asked, and when her sister did not give her an answer, she turned her attention to Lex, whose face was full of apprehension. Kara felt her stomach turn, and for the first time since waking up, it had nothing to do with her allergy. “Where's Lena?"

For a long time, there was no response, which only served to worsen Kara's bad feeling. She alternated glances between her sister and her soon-to-be brother-in-law and felt her heart pound painfully in her chest in the face of the worry she felt. Where was Lena? Why was not she in the apartment? What had happened?

"Lena isn’t here." Lex finally spoke, and Kara did not like the way his voice trembled at the end. She had never seen him like that. Something had happened, _something bad_.

"Where is she?" Kara asked, feeling the desperation bubble inside her. She took a step forward and felt the pain traverse her abdomen in response but did not pay any attention to it. It was not important right now. What had happened to Lena?

"Kara, let's sit down." Alex suggested, holding her sister by the shoulders, trying to keep her calm. However, it was a vain task. Kara looked at Alex with clear and vivid despair. The older Danvers had no idea what to do to reassure the blonde-haired woman. After all, there might not be anything she could do.

"No.” She shook her head and looked her sister in the eyes. “Alex, you're scaring me. Where's Lena?" She asked once again, and her voice failed as she said her fiancée’s name.

Alex's answer opened a painful wound in Kara's heart.

"Lena's in the hospital." The older Danvers spoke slowly, hesitantly, looking at her sister for signs that she might faint or something.

"What?" Kara's question came out in a whisper. She did not want to believe what Alex had said. It could not be true. Lena _needed_ to be well. She had to be fine.

Alex opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She seemed unable to explain the situation to Kara since she knew how much it would hurt her little sister. Therefore, it was Lex who spoke.

"Car crash.” The two words were simple, but the meaning they carried was devastating. Kara felt her heart squeeze and her stomach twist. Her vision blurred, and almost immediately, tears began to flow down her cheeks. “She went to the mansion after I told her about what Mother did to you..." He explained, but she interrupted him before she had the opportunity to proceed.

"And why would you do that?" She asked. Kara could not believe what Lex had done. She knew how much the knowledge of what Lillian had done would hurt Lena and was sure that the CEO's brother knew it too. Why would he do that? Why would he hurt her that way?

"I should’ve told her a long time ago.” Lex answered and seemed certain of what he was saying. “Maybe I should’ve told her at the beginning, when Mother got rid of Jack. I waited too long, wasted too much time, but I couldn’t let my mother ruin what Lena has with you.” He explained. “I know how much that would destroy my sister.”

Kara shook her head repeatedly as copious tears streamed down her cheeks. She did not want to fight with Lex. This was not important now, though she wanted to make him understand the reasons why telling Lena was a bad idea – if the accident was not enough of a response. She had only one thought in mind: to get to Lena. Kara needed to know if her fiancée was well, needed to see her, needed to know she was still alive.

"We need to go there.” She said. Alex, however, held her before she had the opportunity to leave the apartment, as she intended to do.

“Kara, you need to rest.” The older Danvers insisted, worried. She knew how desperate Kara was to get to Lena, but she could not abandon the knowledge that her sister was not yet fully recovered from an allergic crisis. Kara had to be in bed, not anywhere else.

“No, Alex.” Kara shook her head again. “I need to get to Lena. I need to know if she's okay. She has to be.” She hid her face in the curve of her sister's neck and felt the sobs erupt in her throat. She could not bear it if Lena was not okay. It was unimaginable. It was too painful a reality for Kara to even think about.

“Hey, I know.” Alex hugged her tightly and Kara allowed herself to lean on her sister's embrace. When, at last, she calmed down, Alex stepped back and cupped the blonde-haired woman's face in her hands, making an attempt to wipe the tears with her thumbs. “I know.” She repeated. “C’mon. I'll help you change clothes and we'll go to the hospital.” She said. “Lex goes ahead and talks to the doctors to know the seriousness of Lena's condition, okay?” She looked at the bald man, who merely nodded, before turning to Kara, who nodded too. “C’mon.” She guided her sister back to the bedroom while Lex practically ran toward the door.

Kara tried to hold on to hope, to believe that her fiancée was well. She could not bear a reality in which Lena was not present. The reporter loved the CEO, as she had never imagined loving anyone. However, in the back of her mind, she could not help but wonder if she had not been guilty of what had happened. If she had tried harder, if it was good enough for Lillian to like her, none of this would have happened. If Lena were not well, Kara would never forgive herself.

…

Lillian felt crazy. Worry corroded her inside, in a way that only happened when the situation involved one of her children. The second Lex called to tell her about Lena's accident, she had not minded contacting a driver and, instead, drove herself to the hospital. All that was in her head was the thought of finding her daughter, seeing her with her own eyes, to know if she was okay. Lex had told her that the accident had apparently not been very serious, but there was no way she would calm down until she saw Lena. This thought, however, was replaced by blind rage the second she saw Kara Danvers in the hospital corridor, accompanied by her sister and Lex.

She wasted no time in rushing toward her daughter's fiancée, the anger evident in her gaze.

“This is your fault!” She exclaimed to Kara the second she approached the girl enough to hold her tightly by the shoulder. None of this would have happened had it not been for that reporter. Lena would never have fought with her had it not been for that blonde-haired problem, she would never have driven wildly through one of the worst storms National City has seen in years.

“What?” Kara spoke in a dry, almost inaudible murmur, her eyes bulging.

“Lena’s here because of you!” Lillian was almost screaming, unable to control her own fury. Now, she did not care about where she was or who could see her. She wanted that reporter as far as possible from her daughter.

“Hey, back off!” Alex promptly pushed her away from his sister, and before Lillian could return to her original position, Lex held her from behind. Kara stood still and silent, Lillian's words still echoing in her mind. Was there truth in them? “God! This is crazy! I know you don’t like my sister, but this is crossing all the lines.” Alex went on, and by reflex, her hand went to her waist, where she usually kept her gun. Luckily, it was not there. She was too irritated to carry a firearm now. She took a deep breath, in a vain attempt to calm herself, before speaking to Lillian again. “Why don't you just face it? She’s going to marry Lena and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Your sister is the one who has to face it!” Lillian countered immediately. Then, her gaze moved to Kara, who remained partially hidden behind Alex, but kept her gaze on her soon-to-be mother-in-law. “You'll never be good enough for her!” Especially now that she had caused such a break in the Luthor Family and indirectly caused Lena's accident.

Kara opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. She felt unable to speak, her throat dry. Because there was a part of her that believed every word Lillian had said. Had not she been the reason Lena had left the apartment and headed for the Luthor Manor? Had not she been the reason her fiancée was so upset and so reckless? Kara could feel her eyes burn a little more, but she fought back tears. She did not want to cry in front of Alex, Lex and Lillian.

The reporter could not find in herself the strength to speak, but another voice broke the silence. Four pairs of eyes turned their attention to the newcomer, an old woman with wrinkled skin, white hair and green eyes that were very similar to Lena's. Alex and Kara stared at her in confusion and surprise as Lex swallowed hard and Lillian glared at her.

“Didn't stop you from marrying my son, did it?” The woman had asked, and since she had spoken, no one dared give her an answer. It took Kara too long to recognize her, but she remembered the photo album that Lena liked so much and had shown her a few times. She had seen this woman before. Leona Luthor, Lionel's mother.

At last, Lillian spoke.

“Oh God, no.” Lillian murmured to herself and rolled her eyes.

“ _Shit._ ” Lex said as he swallowed again, exchanging looks between his mother and his grandmother. This would not end well.

Leona walked toward Lillian and stopped in front of her. Then she studied her from top to bottom, as if she were looking at a mere insect, before rolling her eyes.

“Well, look at you. The worried mother. You’re so predictable.” The older woman said with sarcasm and a barely concealed twinge of disdain.

“Oh, Leona. I didn't know you were in National City.” Lillian replied immediately, and if Kara thought the Luthor matriarch did not like her, she certainly did not want to be the target of look her soon-to-be mother-in-law was giving her own mother-in-law.

“You didn't?” Leona asked with a clearly feigned surprise, acidic irony dripping from every word that came out of her mouth. “I came for my granddaughter’s wedding, which is in a few days. Didn’t you know I’d be here? Wonder why.” She did not wait for an answer before proceeding. “Oh, I know. You didn't send me an invitation.” She narrowed her eyes and stared at Lillian in an accusatory and repulsed way. Then, she pressed her lips together, as if to avoid saying anything else.

“I thought you were dead.” Lillian deadpanned, but there was something in her posture, in her voice and in her gaze that made the viewers of the scene believe she was not joking. “But evil doesn't die so easily, I suppose.” She shrugged and her eyes gave a twinge of defiance. Leona, however, seemed unaffected by such a gesture. Instead, the white-haired woman smiled.

“I heard you got sacked and thrown into a loony bin. My congratulations.” She commented with unrestrained satisfaction. Lillian stared at her in disbelief for a short moment and had to restrain herself from snorting. The Luthor matriarch, however, did not have the opportunity to give her any answer before Leona turned her attention to Kara, who had been silent. “Now, I want to get an up-close look at the bride.” She walked over to the blonde-haired reporter and watched her for a few seconds. “Look at you. You are a stunner!” She smiled, seeming satisfied. “My granddaughter is a lucky woman.” She averted her gaze and her expression became somber. “I wish my son had been that lucky.”

“Here we go again.” Lillian rolled her eyes as she spoke.

“What?” Leona turned to her. “You were in university in Boston, Massachusetts. Harvard, I give you that. Still, you drove around in a broken-down minivan and you drank red wine from a box!” She stated in an accusatory and mocking tone and Lillian gritted her teeth. She was sincerely considering the idea of dragging the older woman out of the hospital by her hair, no matter how many magazine covers and headlines such an act would generate.

“Classy.” Alex commented and had to hold back a laugh. In the face of everything that had happened to Kara, everything Lillian had done to her sister, she was sincerely enjoying the presence of the Luthor matriarch's mother-in-law. Kara elbowed her in the ribs, intending to silence her, but that did not erase any fraction of the older Danvers' satisfaction.

She therefore only watched as the discussion continued to occur.

“You killed him, you know?” Leona accused, walking again toward Lillian, to approach once more her daughter-in-law.

“What?!” Lillian exclaimed with indignation. Generally, she was not so uncontrolled, but Leona had a peculiar way of bringing out the worst of her.

“You killed him.” Leona repeated and narrowed her eyes at the woman in front of her. “All the doctors agreed my son died of terminal disappointment!”

“If anybody killed him, you did.” Lillian countered immediately, and her red face was a clear indication of how much anger she was feeling at the moment. Lex had never seen her like this, though he had seen Lillian come close to it; each of these situations had been related to Leona, with whom Lillian had never had a good relationship, as was clear from the discussion. “You smothered him to death! Nobody was ever good enough for him!”

It was at this moment that Kara realized how familiar the situation was. Was not Lillian accusing her of not being good enough for Lena just minutes ago? Apparently, the relationship between Lillian and Leona was not much better than that between Kara and Lillian. Would this same discussion repeat itself in a few years? Was it a permanent cycle in the family? She continued to watch the unfolding of the discussion as her mind insisted on facts she did not want to face, on how much she would not want to be in Lillian's position in a few years' time, discussing which of the two had been responsible for Lena's possible unhappiness. The blonde-haired woman did not dare to think about the possibility of death – it was too painful.

Meanwhile, Lillian and Leona continued to fight.

“You’re aware of how old you look, aren’t you?” The white-haired woman asked with acid cynicism, looking at her daughter-in-law with disdain. The change of subject was sudden enough to be disorienting.

Lillian turned to Lex and looked at him in disbelief.

“This woman is going to drive me insane.” She declared.

“Now, I'd rather not take all the credit.” Leona grinned cynically at Lillian and took one last look at Kara before turning to her daughter-in-law. “You'll get over it. I did, didn’t I?” She started to walk in the same direction from which she had come, but stopped next to Lex. “Lex, darling, I’ll be at my apartment. Call me when I can see Lena. I don’t think it’ll be good for me to be in the same place as _her_.”

“Of course, grandmother. I love you.”

“Likewise, dear.” She then left.

The silence reigned after Leona left. No one dared to say a word, not even Alex, who had found the whole situation surprisingly comical. It was good to see Lillian taste some of her own medicine. Lex, on the other hand, seemed apprehensive, watching his mother as if she were about to do something crazy. Lillian, in turn, had an illegible expression on her face. Surprisingly, it was Kara who broke the silence.

“This is never going to end, is it?” She asked in a whisper, a hesitant, trembling sound. Her gaze seemed distant as she was immersed in her own turbulent thoughts. Her eyes were wet, filled with restrained tears. She did not look at anyone in particular.

“What’re you talking about, Kara?” Alex questioned, all her previous amusement suddenly forgotten in face of the look on her sister's face. She watched Kara with concern and put a hand on her shoulder, as if to remind the blonde-haired woman of her presence. However, the reporter gave her little or no attention, still stuck in her own mind.

Instead, Kara looked at Lillian as she spoke.

“I mean, that's going to be me and you in years. We'll be doing the exact same thing.” Her voice trembled a little more during the speech and Lillian looked at her with clear, unrestrained surprise. “You know what?” She took a deep breath before continuing, as if what she had to say was too hard to put into words. She looked away for a moment and looked at Alex and then at Lex before turning to her future mother-in-law once more. “I wanted to marry Lena because we make each other happy.” The smile that formed on his face was _so sad_. “But you're never going to let that happen. Are you, Lillian?” The woman did not give her an answer. The Luthor matriarch was too surprised with the situation and with what the reporter was saying. “Oh my God. I can't believe I'm saying this.” She squeezed her eyes shut and the words that left her mouth then were barely audible. “You win, Lillian.”

“What do you mean?” Lillian frowned, not understanding where the blonde-haired reporter was getting at.

“Kara?” Alex asked, concerned.

Kara stayed with her eyes tightly shut and her breathing was ragged. Her chest ached with what she knew she needed to do, but she had no choice. She did not want that for Lena, she did not want the woman she loved to be always stuck between her fights with Lillian. She wanted Lena to be happy and knew that this would only be possible if she married someone her mother approved of. Family was so important to the CEO, and Kara could never live with herself if she destroyed Lena's relationship with Lillian, or if her stay forced her fiancée to choose. She knew she could not stay, but that did not make what she had to say simpler.

“I’ll be with Lena for as long as she needs me. I couldn’t live with myself if I left her in a time of need. I love her too much for that.” She took a deep breath. “But the second she’s healed, I’ll talk to her. The wedding's off.” Kara spoke and, without waiting for any response, began to walk away, toward the ER.

“Kara, wait!” Alex promptly followed her.

Lillian stood still as the Danvers sisters walked away. She had tormented Kara for a whole week, kept her from sleeping, kept her from eating what she wanted, kept her from talking to Lena, practically poisoned her, and a visit from Leona was all that was needed to make the blonde-haired reporter give up on your daughter? What the actual Hell? Still, that was not the worst for Lillian.

“I cannot believe she compared me to Leona.” The mere thought was unthinkable for Luthor matriarch. She was nothing like Leona. The simple idea was the biggest insult anyone could ever say against her.

“I know. Now that's just wrong.” Lex replied, positioning himself next to his mother and looking in the direction in which Kara and Alex had gone.

“Thank you.” Lillian sighed with relief. At least there was still someone beside her.

“You’re far worse.” She looked at Lex in disbelief at hearing what he said. “I don't recall you telling me grandmother ever trying to poison you, for starters. I’m pretty sure the worst thing she did was wear black at your wedding.” He argued, looking at his mother with what Lillian could only interpret as disapproval. Lex was disappointed in her. Who was not disappointed in her lately, anyway?

“Black. Yes, she said she was in mourning.” She rolled her eyes at the memory of Leona at the day of her marriage to Lionel. It was, however, a vain way of trying to distract herself from the look her son was giving her. “I just want my daughter to be happy.” She sighed and was nothing more than sincere as she spoke. All she wanted for Lena was for her to be happy. She wanted her daughter to find someone good enough and have a life no less than perfect. She would give everything for the happiness of her little girl. Had she gone too far?

Lex's response opened her eyes to a possibility she had not truly considered.

“What makes you think she isn't?” She looked at her son in surprise as the thought made its way to her mind. Lex watched her patiently, waiting for her to understand the reality of what he had said. Lillian, in turn, turned in the direction in which Kara had followed with Alex in her pursuit. She processed what Lex had said for a moment that she judged too long before making a decision.

Without saying anything to her son, she followed the direction woman with whom her daughter so dearly wanted to marry went. She had something to do, and she had to do it before it was too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that, again, it took me too long to post and I still didn't reply to the comments, but I had some problems. I'm studying for a exam that will happen at the end of the year, for me to get in college, and I spend the whole day at it. I only have the free weekend, a time I usually use to read. By the way, I finished reading IT and also read Marissa Meyer's Fairest and Kendare Blake's Three Dark Crowns. I loved it and recommend it if any of you are interested.  
> Well, I can't spend much time here. I'm super tired and need to sleep. I hope you have enjoyed the chapter. Please tell me what you think of the chapter, if it's okay, what needs to be improved, these things. Again, thank you very much for all the support you have given me in this fic - in all of my fics, actually. The next chapter will be the last one and I hope you like it. I think I can post next weekend.  
> See ya!


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